aeipathy
by decrescence
Summary: — day by day, they explore the strength of the invisible ties that bind them. a compilation of 2014 sasusaku month prompts. canon-verse & au.
1. colors

**title: **colors  
**summary: **black, sakura told him, wouldn't do at all.  
**prompt: **day #1 - the smell of fresh paint  
**rating:** k  
**a/n:** this year, i've _actually_ managed to complete all of the prompts, so i'll be posting a new one every day in july both here and on my tumblr. just a heads up—these chapters will be rather short, ranging from about 500-800 words each, but i still really that hope you guys enjoy! thanks for reading, and happy sasusaku month!

* * *

Mixed reactions arose with the announcement of a new addition to the Uchiha household.

While the majority of Konoha's citizenry cooed their congratulations to the village's esteemed medic as they gathered around to fawn over her stomach's growing baby bump, there were those who followed her husband with frowning eyes, skepticism evident in the hushed words they whispered behind his back. The Hokage herself seemed to be among them but wasted no time with gossip, uttering nothing but, "You're moving awfully fast, Uchiha—better watch your step," before her fist glowed green-blue, and Sasuke was sent flying—_crashing_—into the back of the Hokage Office, leaving an almost-father-sized hole in the wall.

Thankfully, Sakura's parents were more accepting of them, having gotten over their initial suspicion toward the recipient of their daughter's affection during the years he spent trying to earn their approval. Sakura's mother's eyes lit with happiness at the sound of Sakura's pregnancy and immediately rushed out of the house to buy clothes and toys for her new grandchild, and after her father recovered from his early shock, he patted Sasuke on the back before pulling the two into an embrace, murmuring, 'they really do grow up fast,' and 'I'm so proud,' while struggling to dab at his eyes.

Across the board, their friends were supportive of the couple as well, and Naruto even began to hoard packs of instant ramen in his closet for the incoming child. "The baby needs good nutrition," the blonde exclaimed when he showed the pair his impressive stash of all noodle-flavors piling into skyscrapers, forming a city in his room. "And we can name him or her Naruto the Second! Uchiha Naruto, it has a nice ring to it!"

(He spent the rest of the day sulking after Sasuke shot his proposal down.)

Sai, too, congratulated them in turn, lips lifted into a polite smile, and Ino came along to bring a bouquet of flowers to brighten the child's new bedroom. Even with the flowers, though, the room was bare, except for a single crib tucked in the corner. Furniture still had to be bought and arranged, and the empty walls were yet to be painted with color.

"Black," Sasuke suggested one morning, as the couple stood side by side in the bedroom, their shoulders touching. "We should paint the room black."

Sakura violently gasped in response, wide, green eyes snapping to his. "You want to paint our baby's room…_black_?"

"Mm, it's a steady color."

"No, it's too _dark_," Sakura insisted, as she waved his proposition away. "Black won't do at all."

Sasuke regarded his wife sideways, his eyebrows knitting together. Blowing out a sigh, he leaned against her form and tried again, "Red, then?"

She blinked once, twice. "No, no, no… Blood is red…"

"Some flowers are red," Sasuke said exasperatedly. "_Tomatoes_ are red."

Yet again, Sakura waved off his words. "What about pink?" she asked. "I like pink."

"I am _not_ painting my son's room pink, Sakura."

"We're having a daughter."

"We are _not._"

"We are, _too._"

After hours of pestering back and forth, the couple finally settled into a compromise of a light blue color, and soon enough, the air in the small bedroom was thick with the scent of paint.

Moving a brush against one of the walls, Sakura spoke with a smile, "Our little girl will love this color."

Her words flowed so genuinely that Sasuke found himself nodding in agreement. "...Aa, I'm sure she will."


	2. daybreak

**title: **daybreak  
**summary: **"i'm right here."  
**prompt: **day #2 - late  
**rating:** k+

* * *

Heart shuddering, Sakura's eyes slipped shut, Sasuke's low whisper of 'I'll be back in two nights' replaying in her mind and filling her absence of vision with something lingering and barely there.

Two days ago, as they stood on her front doorstep in the faint cool of the morning, he had suddenly pulled her by the wrist and folded her form to his chest, embracing her of his own accord for the first time since their childhood. His hold had almost shattered her to the bone, and Sakura gasped, but with time, she found herself smiling at the gesture because his need to treat her as something of complete frailty and helplessness was no longer there.

He had murmured his goodbyes and a promise before turning to depart on his first mission as a renewed Konoha citizen, leaving her breathless in the early daylight, and until her lungs relearned to circulate air again, Sakura stayed and watched his shadow fade into the distance.

As her eyes followed him, a nuance of nostalgia pulled at her heartstrings, and she shifted to lean against the metal arm-rail beside her. She could still sense the feeling of his arms around her, and the memory was warming, but worry quickly moved in to reclaim her. She pressed her lips into a thin line, praying that this time around, history would not repeat itself, and Sasuke would return safe and sound in a few days' time.

He _would_, she told herself, again and again. She trusted he would.

She spent the next mornings diligently working her hours away at the hospital, tending to patients around the clock. With the war over, the toil was not difficult, and she flew through the days, easily healing patients that sought her care. Soon enough, one night passed, and the second followed in suit.

When she left the hospital on the day Sasuke was to come back to the village, the sky had already dimmed to a deep purple-black, and she started her walk home under the glow of the crescent moon. Her steps flowed leisurely at first, but when her thoughts drifted to Sasuke and his upcoming return, she broke into a shallow run and gradually increased her pace until the rhythm of her feet briskly pulled her ahead.

Sasuke would be there when she arrived, she thought—it was rather late, and it seemed as if the night had already been settled for several hours. A smile lit her face when her home came into view but slowly fell when she glimpsed the front steps empty, not a presence awaiting her arrival.

Quickly climbing the stairs, she twisted the round door handle and welcomed herself inside. She switched on the lights, the dark of the room dissipating, and as her eden eyes swept the area, the pulse of her heart quickened and her breathing slowed.

Sasuke was nowhere to be found.

With a certain heaviness, she put away her things and stepped back outside. After wiping off the concrete surface below her, she sat down, curling her arms around her legs for warmth, and for hours, she waited, with no one besides the stars overhead and her own apprehension for company. But still, he did not come.

It was nearly morning when she finally fell asleep against the handrail, a bitter feeling in the pit of her stomach as she prepared for the worst.

Several hours after she had fallen, Sakura was abruptly shaken awake, and she followed the sound of her name being called back into consciousness. Stretching her arms over her head, she sat up, yawning as she mindlessly murmured, "Have…you seen…Sasuke-kun…?"

Her sleepy eyes were still closed, so she missed the faint smile on the face of the one who had awoken her.

"Aa, stupid," said the voice, lowly, as the owner bent down and extended a hand to flick the center of her forehead. "I'm right here."

Almost instantaneously, the drowsiness fell from Sakura's features, and she looked up to see Sasuke. She was on her feet within a beat, her arms around him after another. "Sasuke-kun," she breathed, "I was so worried when you didn't come back..." She trailed off, and Sasuke noticed the faint tremble in her body as she pulled him close.

"Sorry, I'm late," he said quietly, lifting a hand to ruffle her hair.

After a moment, he spoke again: "I missed you, too."


	3. (not) fearless

**title: **(not) fearless  
**summary: **in which she learns his weakness.  
**prompt: **day #3 - phobia  
**rating:** k+

* * *

Almost without noticing, Sasuke developed a habit of watching Sakura's lips when she spoke, reading the words her voice spelled out to him. He always listened earnestly but watched even closer, his dark eyes never failing to follow her hands if she lifted them in gesture. He focused on her eyes when she laughed, silently watching the stars in her green skies twinkle, and sometimes, as they walked side by side, he let his gaze trail her footsteps and their steady rhythm, listening for the pulse of her feet against the concrete pavement. When they sparred, he always kept both eyes on her fists, especially if they glowed with color and shot out toward him.

But watching was all he did—it was all he_ could _do. He watched her intently but was quick to increase the space between them if it were to dwindle. On occasion, Sakura leaned closer to him during their conversations, splicing the distance between their faces, and he almost always shifted back, away from the girl and into himself. He tended to step to the side if she neared him, so their fingers would not graze as they walked, and when they trained together, he constantly aimed punches and other blows that threw her off, making it appear that he was constantly fighting to fend off his teammate before her skin would have the opportunity to meet his. He folded himself away much too often, she mused, as if he were scared of her touch, and the thought made her chuckle. The infamous, stoic Uchiha—afraid?

He was fast and usually subtle in his movements to pull back, but Sakura noticed his attempts. His evasiveness of her touch was even more prominent each time her fingers accidentally grazed his arm or hand and he desperately tried to inch away, sometimes even going as far as to excuse himself from the situation. Each of these happenings made Sakura smile to herself, but as the frequency of these occurrences increased and Sasuke caught fire at her touch nearly every day, she almost started to feel bad—but a little guilt never stopped anyone from having fun.

She began to tease him, purposely decreasing their distance so he would fidget beneath her thumb. Some days he would get so nervous around her that he avoided her completely, and it was then when Sakura decided to halt her game, as it became awfully painful for the both of them when he stopped breathing as her hands ghosted over his wounds.

After a few days going without poking fun at the seemingly stone-faced Uchiha, Sakura caught sight of him ambling down the street, wandering from shop to shop and the small stands in between. As he disappeared into one of the stores, she rubbed her hands together, flashing a mischievous grin before surreptitiously creeping in his direction, concealing herself behind a tall post, and sliding to the ground to wait for his return. Minutes passed before there was a light jingle of the bells at the shop's front door, and Sasuke stepped back outside.

Like a strike of lightning, she burst from behind the post and was behind him in a moment, her arms encircled around him after another. She felt him tense and shiver, and she laughed goodheartedly. "Surprise!" she exclaimed, pressing her forehead to his back.

He gave her nothing but a heavy silence at first, but then there was a faint crinkle of plastic wrapping and he managed to pry his arms from her grip. He lifted a hand to run over his face and extended the other to his back, his fingers closed around a bouquet of colorful flowers. Sakura heard him let out a shaky exhale into his palm before he spoke, "If I give you these, will you quit it?"


	4. impromptu

**title: **impromptu  
**summary: **"what the _hell_ did you think you were doing?"  
**prompt: **day #4 - there was no warning  
**rating:** t

* * *

The village of Konoha was at peace. The sky was clear, the weather bright, and for once, there was an absence of anything—of young, unruly children arguing over toys; of bickering shop customers demanding lower prices; of bloodthirsty shinobi out to kill—that held the possibility to shatter the harmony that had gradually settled over the village as the war had come to its end, just a mere few months ago.

Unless, of course, one counted the event of Uchiha Sasuke half-bleeding to a very premature death on one of the many hospital beds in the village's main hospital.

Despite the ruckus of several medic-nins swarming at his bedside, their arms full of bandages and gauze and various medicine, he was calm enough, the angles of his face drawn easily and almost relaxed as he leaned against the white of the bed. It was almost humorous, he thought in amusement, that he had been through so many experiences similar to this one that he no longer cared enough to bat an eye while everyone else in the room flew about and monitored his every breath and every heartbeat.

The drone of the pain in his arm pulsated steadily, with its set rhythm and beat, and he was pulled from his previous recollections as he tried to ignore its shuddering throb as bright, new crimson continuing to stain the tightly-bound bandages tied around his forearm. In attempt to distract himself, he shifted his eyes and let them follow one of the medic-nins instead, the only one in the room that he currently recognized.

He quietly noticed that her hair was tied into a short ponytail centered at the back of her head, thinking to himself that he liked how she looked with her pink tresses pulled up. It looked nice, and perhaps, he thought, perhaps he has actually always liked short hair instead of long, and not the other way around. The nostalgia that came along with the musing brought a faint smile to his lips, and Sakura turned at just the right time to see his expression.

Somehow, it seemed to upset her, to see him in such a way; he could tell by how she squinted in his direction and blew out an angry exhale. As she stepped closer to his bed, he caught sight of her eyes and the fire they were spinning, and he swallowed tensely in response, but before he could open his mouth to say a word, she clutched a bundle of gauze and hurled it at his stomach. 'Mph,' was the only sound he could manage.

"I bet you think it's funny, don't you, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura muttered, her glare piercing him. "You probably think it's utterly hilarious how you landed yourself in the hospital because you ran around when that group of enemy-nins attacked us—"

Sasuke blinked at her. "I did not run around."

"—Like a fish out of water—"

"Sakura, fish don't run—"

"—And then you went at got yourself _blown up—_"

"No, one of them stabbed me, remember?"

"—I mean, what the _hell _did you think you were doing?"

Sasuke felt his lips press into a line and their corners lift, but a new lapse of pain stole his attention. He gingerly touched a hand to his bicep and did his best not to wince, though his attempt was futile and his discomfort showed through.

Regardless of her initial chastisement of his out-of-place smile, Sakura was quick to notice his uneasiness and brought her palms over his wound to transfer her energy to him. She sighed and mumbled something underneath her breath about '_stupid, stupid boys_' but continued to heal him, and after a few moments of silence illuminated by the glow of her hands, his blood ceased from seeping through the bandages meant to keep it in place.

She glanced to him afterwards, and when their gazes met, he finally answered her question with, "Protecting you," and something in her eyes softened. He chuckled lowly at her reaction, leaning up from the soft hospital bed, and in the next moment, he did the unthinkable without uttering a word, using a hand to guide her face toward his.

He felt her breathing hitch when his mouth touched to hers, but after a brief pause, he heard her whisper, "Thank you," and maybe it was the dizziness from losing so much blood or a side-effect from the pain medicine, but he could have sworn he felt her kiss him back.


	5. wedding bells

**title: **wedding bells  
**summary:** it was beautiful in the palm of his hand, but he couldn't help but wonder how it'd look on her ring finger.  
**prompt: **day #5 - keepsake  
**rating:** k+  
**a/n:** don't forget to tell me what you thought of these recent chapters! reviews are always appreciated c:

* * *

Never in his life had Uchiha Sasuke imagined stepping into a jewelry store with the intent of making a purchase, but there he was, hand settled on the metal doorknob of the shop's front entrance, sweat threatening to bead at his brow as he peered through a clouded glass window.

Even from outdoors, he could make out the girlish laughter of the women inside, and having heard the sounds, which signified a large amount of customers, he took his time in taking a deep breath as if to prepare himself before twisting the doorknob and welcoming himself inside. There was a chime that sounded over his head as he passed through the doorframe, and much to his dismay, several of the women turned and noticed him immediately, various expressions already beginning to lace themselves onto their features.

Some of them quickly averted their eyes, acting as if they hadn't seen him, and continued perusing the gold and silver pieces shining beneath the glass cases at their fingertips, but others locked their gazes on his form without a second thought. Despite his silent disposition, in the shop he easily attracted attention in the way that he stuck out, and even with months and years of Konoha's citizens staring and even glaring at him as he walked past, this was different. The women regarded him softly, almost _curiously, _and he knew the exact reason why.

When he cleared his throat, most of them turned away and went back to their previous activities, and he finally found it safe to move forward and enter the store. Although he did his best to keep to himself while he made his way through the walkways, he heard the whispers that followed him as he went but shook them off in attempt to ignore the interested murmurs. Within a few steps, he found his way to the certain section of the shop that he had come for.

He peered down, dark eyes carefully studying the contents of the glass boxes and taking in the intricate details of the various pieces displayed inside them. He paced down the aisle-way, keeping his line of focus centered on the jewelry for a piece that would catch his attention, and after several moments passed, he found a white gold band with a single diamond in its center that made it sparkle more vividly than other rings surrounding it.

Assessing the ring for another minute, the corners of his lips lifted. It was the one.

He glanced up and down the aisles then, searching for someone to assist him, and a honey-blonde woman caught his gaze, smiled pleasantly, and approached him. "How may I help you, sir?" she asked.

Sasuke tapped a finger against the glass directly above the brilliantly-set band, pressing his lips together. "I'd like to see this one here."

The woman nodded, reaching into her pocket for a key to unlock the case, and retrieved the ring from its small pedestal. With another movement, she dropped it into his open palm and smiled again. "It's beautiful," she murmured, admiring it. "It's for a special lady, I take it?"

Sasuke nearly dropped the ring at the woman's words but quickly blinked his embarrassment away. "Y-yes," he said, flushed with scarlet, "it is."


	6. déjà vu

**title: **déjà vu  
**summary:** same beginning, different end.  
**prompt: **day #6 - night in  
**rating:** k+  
**a/n:** reviews would be loved! c:

* * *

When sheets of raindrops knocked against the side of a clouded windowpane in a rhythmic greeting, the glass stayed still, not parting to welcome them inside, but the steady downpour filled the silence already present in the house from outdoors. The air was quiet and calm in the Uchiha compound, save for the muted rustle of footsteps shuffling across the wooden floor and the shifting of a person tucked in bed, and the sound of the rain was more than enough to drown out the soft noise.

It was late at night, but the rain beat down as tirelessly as ever, and a pair of hands was also hard at work in the kitchen, tending to a boiling pot of warm chicken broth. Every couple minutes, the contents of the pot were stirred in a slow, circular motion until the soup was to the owner's liking, and once it reached the desired temperature, she tipped the broth into a deep china bowl and cupped the dish in her hands before making her way out of the kitchen.

She paced down the hallway, a subtle nuance of urgency in her steps, and veered into the bedroom on her right after lifting a hand to rap against the door. "Sasuke-kun," she called, entering the room.

Taking a seat on the stool she had previously positioned at his bedside, she moved closer to his resting form, enveloped in a good amount of thick comforters. He stirred in response to her presence, opening his lids to show tired eyes, and slowly attempted to sit up, the bed sighing beneath the shift of his weight.

"Don't strain yourself," Sakura said quickly, catching sight of him wincing at the soreness in his bones. He leaned back against the pillows, and she smiled softly, holding the bowl of chicken broth out to him.

Without meeting her eyes or her smile, Sasuke took the bowl in his hands, holding it close to warm his fingers. "You could've gone out tonight. You don't have to take care of me," he said brusquely, and there was an evident steel edge to his voice. He peered into the soup, avoiding her gaze.

Sakura blinked, smile slipping from her features as she bit her lip. She studied him for a moment before taking a breath and moving forward to touch the back of her hand against his forehead, sweeping it across his skin to assess his temperature. "No, I don't," she said, almost wistfully, "but I want to."

She waited as he ate in silence, and after a few moments, she took back the half-empty bowl from his hands and set it on the floor, exchanging it with another bowl full of peeled apple slices. When she held it out to him, something stirred behind his eyes, and he suddenly looked up to meet hers, recognizing the familiarity in the scene.

Even before he said a word, Sakura understood, and as the wave of déjà vu washed over her as well, she subconsciously gripped the dish tighter, as if expecting it to be thrown out of her hands a second time.

But Sasuke took the bowl from her without intermission, giving a curt nod as thanks and placing it into his lap. Sakura then stood to leave, but as she turned toward the door, he abruptly reached out for her, his hand encircling her wrist, and she glanced back to him, eyebrows lifted gently.

This time, his touch was neither rough nor angry, and she was not afraid.

"Thank you," he murmured softly, and a smile was anew on her face as she walked out the door.


	7. stolen

**title: **stolen  
**summary: **yet again, she steals his heart.  
**prompt: **day #7 - night out  
**rating:** k+

* * *

When Sasuke finally gathered the nerve to ask his pink-haired teammate out on a date, he, in all honestly, had half-expected to be thrown into the floor once the girl had shot him down, so when she smiled and agreed to his request, his heart nearly stopped and fell out of his chest. With his blood screaming ever so loudly, the rest of her words fell upon deaf ears, but after blinking away his initial surprise, he faintly heard her ask, 'where should we go?' and realized he had no idea what to say.

If he had planned a location prior to losing his mind, he forgot it then. He pondered it for a moment, suddenly overwhelmed by a wave of self-consciousness, and when he glanced up and saw Naruto's head pop out from behind a wall to give him a wide grin and a thumbs up for support, he frantically caught hold of an idea. "Ichiraku's," he heard himself say to her, and he deathly hoped he didn't sound as pathetic as he thought he did.

Sakura nodded and smiled again, seeming not to notice the uncertainty in his voice. "Sure," she said evenly. "See you later, then."

She walked away, and Sasuke couldn't help feeling like he was on top of the world, despite his uncharacteristic lapse of panic. Naruto came up and clapped his hand against his back once Sakura had waned from their view, as to congratulate him, but the blond was also quick to burst out laughing when he saw the bright red flush of his best friend's face.

As the sun began to set, they met at the ramen shop, and Sasuke felt a light smile brighten his face when he saw her; she had dressed up for their date. A simple white dress was soft against her skin, and he found herself thinking she was beautiful.

He was at a loss for things to say as they took their seats, and although he was a man of few words, the silence on the air felt different somehow, and it made him wonder. Before he could lose himself in thought, though, Sakura easily filled the silence with light conversation, her voice soft and comforting.

He let her talk and lead the conversation since he wanted to listen; there was something in her voice that he loved and needed. So she did, and as they spoke, laughed, and breathed together, he finally felt at home.

A new silence settled in once her words had faded, but it was one that was much more comfortable than the first.

Moments later, Sasuke spoke in attempt to break the ice, and with the air so still, there was a certain gravity to his words. "Sakura," he said, and she turned to him, eyebrows raised, marking her face with slight alarm.

"Yes?"

He cleared his throat, wishing he hadn't approached the topic so seriously, and swirled his chopsticks around his bowl, staring into the soup. "You look nice," he murmured.

When curiosity finally got to the best of him, he stole a glance at her, and his heart soared when he saw that she was smiling.


	8. the way to your heart

**title: **the way to your heart  
**summary: **contrary to popular belief, uchiha sasuke was not good at everything. or was he?  
**prompt: **day #8 - the student becomes the teacher  
**rating:** k+  
**a/n: **aah, i like how this turned out c:

* * *

One morning, with a sheepish look on his face, Sasuke pulled Sakura aside and asked her to teach him how to cook, and after tilting her head to the side and several 'is that really you?'s, she grinned and agreed. They began to meet up each day for a lesson, and although it was fun at first, three lessons later, Sakura quickly realized that Sasuke was—to put it simply—utterly hopeless in the kitchen and years of jutsu-training and chakra control couldn't help him there.

His breakfast food usually turned out far too bland, pastries flat and omelets broken. Snacks somehow managed to go haywire, to the point of spiraling out of control, and even the simplest of sandwiches were a bit of a challenge. His baked desserts always came out of the oven half-burnt and half-smoking, and on their second lesson, he set off the fire alarm, almost successfully burning Sakura's apartment down.

Steamed rice seemed an easy enough bet, she reasoned on the next day, but the dark-haired boy could never seem to get the ratio of water to rice just right, and for reasons they could not comprehend, the pot came alive once he plugged it in, managing to whir and squeak and let out steam like there was no tomorrow.

Sighing heavily, they ended the third lesson with damp hair, rosy faces, (and wet eyes, in Sasuke's case, but Sakura pretended not to notice), and she found hope deep, deep inside of herself to tell him she was sure he'd get the hang of it all on their next lesson.

But she wasn't so sure.

When he returned the following morning, looking only slightly deflated, Sakura gave him a smile that she hoped didn't seem too nervous and led him to the kitchen. On the marble center island were two large, silver pots, waiting for them, and colorful vegetables were already laid out on the table, next to a pair of knives and a few chopping boards. Sasuke glanced to Sakura, eyebrows raised, and she nodded. "Let's give beef stew a try, hm?"

Moments later, she watched Sasuke thickly slice carrots and halve potatoes, returning her attention to her own vegetables every few minutes to cut them up as well. Once they had finished with the preparations, Sakura instructed him which herbs and spices to toss into the boiling pot, followed by the vegetables and meat, and handing him a wooden spoon, she then showed him how and when to stir the broth.

(A smile lit her face as she watched him stir the stew with the most rapt face she had ever seen him put on.)

They left the pots boiling on the stove for a good twenty minutes, returning to the kitchen once time had passed. Nervously, they lifted the pots to the kitchen table and opened the lids in suit. _So far, so good,_ Sakura thought, as she peered into her student's pot. It didn't look as if anything had gone wrong yet._Yet._

As Sasuke left to retrieve two bowls from the cupboards, Sakura stirred his stew while his back was turned, lowering her nose to its silver brim. She sniffed the steam curling from the soup and almost gasped. It smelled wonderful.

Once he returned with two blue-rimmed china bowls, he set one of them into her hands, and they took turns in ladling a spoonful from his pot. They exchanged shaky smiles and sat down side by side at the kitchen table. "After you," Sasuke said, nodding at the bowl.

Sakura let out a short laugh. "Alright," she agreed, and lifted her spoon to her lips. A second passed, then two, and three. Sharply turning in Sasuke's direction, her eden eyes widened in shock. "It's fantastic," she breathed, before leaning over for a spoonful of her own stew. She nearly choked. "It's better than mine."

Almost knocking over his own bowl in surprise, Sasuke's brows knit together in disbelief. His spoon came up to his mouth, and he tasted Sakura's stew soon afterwards. A laugh quickly vibrated his voice. "It is."

He glanced at Sakura, whose features were still set with surprise. "So," he began, twirling the spoon between his fingers with a new arrogance that made her roll her eyes, "what you have to do is . . . "


	9. intrepidity

**title: **intrepidity  
**summary: **she is safety and stability, as long as he remembers to breathe.  
**prompt: **day #9 - bravery  
**rating:** k+  
**a/n:** i've always preferred writing things like this over action/dialogue for some reason...

* * *

It takes a great deal of courage, Sasuke realizes, to look into Sakura's eyes.

When she smiles up at him, he often finds that he can do all but meet her gaze, only possessing enough will to let his stare trace the rest of her face, her hair, her hands. Although her eyes are as clear and translucent as ever and so simple it would be for him to decipher her code, she is an open book he will not, _cannot_, read—because the last thing in the world that he desires is for his hands to be the pair she bleeds dry in.

Perhaps it would be easier for him to say that he is afraid; he is guilty. Every look he casts at her pulls at his heartstrings, and sometimes the sensation is more enough to suffocate him, but with every breath, he still continues stealing glances, taking what should not be his when he knows that he will someday manage to break her.

_You already have, _she tells him, and she says it lightly and with a laugh. _You've already broken me—but I've healed, haven't I? I won't break again. I promise. _

But the vision of her being shattered still thrums his system, and when he pushes past the pain, it makes him wonder. Even considering everything, she loves him—this he knows, but _why_?

She has explained it to him a million times—and perhaps she has come to think that he asks for the sake of his ego—but he cannot, after all this time, understand. With a vague waving gesture of her hand, she explains the ways of fate to him, and her voice trails faraway, eyes shifting to focus on something far beyond the distance. _Some things were meant to be, _she says, her opal irises glistening as if she were talking about some fairytale from her childhood and not _their _story. _Some things were meant to be._

As he turns the concept over and over in his mind, he stumbles upon another explanation he likes far better. Many things are meant to be, he reasons, but many of those things are _not_. Why them, then? Why are they an exception?

It is because she is _brave._

She is valiant in her decision to love him, daring in her decision to stay. She possesses nerve where he does not, and the realization humbles him, bringing a faint smile to his lips.

He learns to meet her eyes, slowly, gradually. Although she seems surprised when he fully holds her gaze for the first time, she manages to nearly drown him, and yet he finds it so difficult to look away. Eventually, he teaches himself to swim, and they grow.

The days pass, and he silently works at dwindling their distance and conquering his fear. She steadies him, and as time progresses, he becomes less afraid, less guilty. He learns that even though he tries to be gentle in the way he treats her, she is not frail, and she is not weak. She is strong, and if she were not, they would not be where they were. He realizes that there is little to fear when he is around her because she is safety and stability, as long as he remembers to breathe.

(But he does forget, sometimes.)


	10. first light

**title: **first light  
**summary:** it all happened too quickly and yet very, very slow.  
**prompt: **day #10 - impulsive  
**rating:** k+  
**a/n: **reviews would be loved!

* * *

Sakura had come to look forward to her morning walks with Sasuke.

Somewhere along the way, they developed the habit of meeting as the sun broke over the horizon; each day, his knuckles would lift to her front door, quiet greetings and soft smiles would be exchanged, and they would step into the early daylight not quite hand-in-hand, but still together.

Their footfalls would follow the dusty paths laid out beneath them, always moving them forward and never back; and on their route through the main portion of the village, they would pass shops and shop-owners getting an early start on the day, and sometimes a customer out buying food to make surprise breakfast for a friend. Although they were rare during their morning walks, Sasuke would often tense at the sight of these citizens, and Sakura didn't blame him.

As the village was mostly empty in its early hours, it would be an understatement to say that the pair stuck out, with the way the villagers recognized Sakura for her medical expertise and Sasuke for his rather ironic tendency to attract unwanted attention. Eyes never failed to wander to them, and, to put it simply, some villagers stared them down as if they were some form of mutant beings and not completely normal.

(Well, _mostly _normal—as normal as they could get.)

And it didn't stop there; other days, when staring villagers were not enough, a disruption would come in the form of a nosy friend or two. When their walks took place considerably later than usual, Naruto would often make an appearance that generally involved embarrassing one or the other—although more often than not, he tended to enjoy humiliating his best friend more. Ino, too, would drop a visit sometimes, to chortle at them, and even Sai, Lee, and Tenten had showed once—twice, _thrice_.

But despite all that had happened—and all that _would _happen, without a doubt—Sakura had come to look forward to her morning walks with Sasuke. Because it was the mornings when she learned him, or rather, _relearned _him, because they'd both silently agreed to start anew.

As the days passed, each morning became a new experience, with less structure and rigidity, and more unpredictability. She gradually relearned how he smiled. How he laughed. And she realized that it was a blessing to remember.

His smiles were subtle, barely-there, whisper-soft. Sometimes if she blinked, she'd miss it completely, and sometimes she did, but minutes later she'd find a way to make him smile once more.

His laughs were, in essence, the same, but then again—very different. They were easier to notice but even easier to miss, as they were short and fleeting. His laughs came as chuckles some days, scoffs on others, but his eyes always crinkled at the edges and the notion warmed her inside out.

She relearned the rest of his expressions, his faces, too—thoughtful, calm, upset, and embarrassed even, on the day she betrayed her rationality to act on impulse. An idea materialized out of the blue that morning, and at first, she stopped and questioned where it had come from but quickly blinked her cloudy thoughts away.

She then took a breath and reached for him, letting her hand slip into his.

It all happened too quickly and yet very, very slow. His reflexes were as sharp as ever, his gaze snapping to hers before she could do as much as bat an eyelash. His footsteps faltered, and she noticed that her heartbeat was doing the exact opposite.

And he did the last thing she expected: he _blushed. _

When she half-gasped 'Sasuke-kun?', he tore his eyes away, face burning scarlet but still let their entwined hands linger, and after several beats and several breaths, he found he could not let her go.


	11. threadbare

**title: **threadbare  
**summary:** he could never hate her.  
**prompt: **day #11 - a night with no stars  
**rating:** t  
**a/n: **based off of my fic "kisses goodbye" but with twelve years instead of twenty.

* * *

Twelve years.

It had been twelve years since Sasuke had spoken with Sakura, yet the memories he had of her continued to burn as brightly as ever. Although hey were a bit dusty with time, they still managed to burn so, so bright.

Letting his vision dim, his eyes slipped shut, and he thought back to how the world had set fire to itself at the end of the war, many years ago. He remembered how he had stood frozen in place, bones heavy and out of breath, and watched as it fell. She had watched, too. They all had.

He remembered the odd stillness of the aftermath, the closure that had followed. It had left him feeling empty, but she had refused to leave him standing in the midst of the battlefield when everything was crashing to his feet.

The memory of how she somehow managed to get him to the hospital despite his half-delirious state was still with him, still on the tip of his tongue. That day she had cleaned his wounds and healed him like cleansing rain…and he had left her with nothing but a threadbare promise.

Opening his eyes again, Sasuke gingerly lifted a hand to his mouth, letting it linger. He hadn't forgotten how he'd kissed her there once, twice, hard on the lips before he had turned to disappear. He could still taste his goodbye and her sad understanding.

Some days, he left his cottage at the edge of a small village whose name he hadn't bothered to remember to visit his past home in Konoha. Since the new Hokage was an old friend, he never minded his presence—in fact, on several occasions he had outright asked Sasuke to come back. _It's different now, everything's changed, _he always said._ You can come home. _

But each proposal was steadily rejected. It would be much too painful, Sasuke thought, to go back there. To go back to _her._

Even on the sporadic occasion that he paid Konoha a visit, he never sought Sakura out. His visits were always unannounced, so he was sure she never heard of them. When he did show, the only people he cared to meet with were the Hokage—Naruto—and his old sensei, if anyone at all. Other times, he merely weaved through the village for the sake of nostalgia, meeting with no one and nothing.

If he did ever see her, they were fleeting glances in a crowd, but he figured she never noticed him in return. She had a husband, a child—a _family_—to care for. A family that didn't include him.

The twelve years spent apart from her and everything he had ever known had humbled him, sobered him, in a way, and yet the rare sight of her he sometimes glimpsed, after all these years, was still more than enough to make him lose his breath. Sasuke hated it. But he couldn't hate her.

He could never hate her.

It was difficult, but with a heavy heart, he pulled his mind from the thoughts that made him ache. Sighing, he directed his gaze to the dark sky above, shifting his position on the cool grass at his back. He lifted a hand upward, as if reaching the stars would somehow pull him closer to Sakura but winced at the wistful thought, knowing that even a whole galaxy at his fingertips wouldn't be enough to bring her back to him.

And besides, the sky was pitch-black and free of stars.


	12. storm clouds

**title: **storm clouds  
**summary:** in the midst of a storm, she finds him.  
**prompt: **day #12 - silver lining  
**rating:** k+

* * *

It was pouring, it was cold, and Sasuke couldn't see a thing—or a _feel_ a thing, for that matter, because the rain had long drenched him, leaving him shivering and numb.

He spun around, sweeping the area for his teammates, but close to nothing could be made out in the haze of the storm, even with his visual prowess. Breathing in slowly, he willed his panic to subside, but the white clouds his breath made in the cold only stirred him more.

Before the rain had washed over Team 7, they had been soaring through a thick forest with practiced ease when an outbreak of smoke bombs covered the area in a gray screen, and despite years of training and their newly reestablished bond, they had managed to lose Sakura in the thick fog.

A quick lapse of alarm had nearly blinded him, but Sasuke continued forward with Naruto close at his heels. They shouted for Sakura until their throats went raw, but much to their dismay, she was nowhere to be found. When they paused to sweep their surroundings, another round of smoke bombs ravaged the area, and Naruto was stolen by the clouds.

The rain started then, and Sasuke found himself at the edge of the forest and the entrance to the winding climb up a mountain, which Tsunade had instructed the trio to enter and follow through. The importance of the scrolls she had sent them to collect seemed to dull in comparison to finding his teammates, but as Sasuke set a foot back into the forest, there was an outcry of something that sounded vaguely like his name in the distance, and his feet were running in its direction before he could blink.

He chased the echo until he swore he had just imagined it, his footsteps slowing as he approached a series of large indentations in the mountains side large enough to serve as caves. With a certain heaviness, he slipped into one of them and stilled against the cold wall.

For a while, he stood there, listening to the beat of the rain and thinking. The logical path to take, he knew, was to continue the mission on his own, complete orders and return to Konoha, but what was _right_? The question plagued him, and he realized he had no idea what to do.

But he thought on it more and revaluated, and the answer came to him.

Leaning off the wall, he shifted into an upright position and stepped to the mouth of the cave, taking a breath before running out the entrance, ready to retrace his steps. Before he could take even five paces forward, though, he was knocked to the ground by an unseen force, and the impact of his head against the stone floor sparked stars in his eyes.

He sat up, rubbing the back of his skull, and squinted into the rainstorm. He glimpsed pink, and suddenly the load on his shoulders no longer suffocated him.

Sasuke's lips lifted into a grimace-smile. "I was looking for you," he said, raising his voice so it would carry over the roar of the storm.

As he grasped her outstretched hand, Sakura pulled him forward, and despite everything, the sky seemed a little less dark.


	13. gray matter

**title:** gray matter  
**summary:** he sets her on fire; she drowns him.  
**prompt: **day #13 - drowning  
**rating:** k+

* * *

Some days, Sasuke gives Sakura a quiet once over and loses himself in thought, and in wonder.

His eyes find her when her own are focused elsewhere, and he wordlessly calculates, with rough tables mentally drawn out, the entirety of what she is. _Gentle, kind, healing, strong, _and things amongst others come to mind as she shines in the corner of his vision like a faraway mirage, and when he sets it in comparison to all he considers himself—cold, stoic, impassive—a laugh nearly tugs the lines of his lips.

It is a miracle, he thinks, that they are what they are, and he finds himself with questions, as he often does these days. How does it—how do _they_—work? Why does he stay? Why doesn't she leave?

The thoughts plague him, but his mind is quick to analyze.

For a moment, he wonders if it's the light of her smile that keeps them together, the bright of her eyes. She is light; that much is for certain, but in truth, it seems an unlikely reason for him to remain drawn to her after all these years. He has always been much fonder of shadows and the dark.

He thinks on; perhaps the answer lies in her hands and open palms. Since his departure, time has forged dents in his memory, and he had come to remember her touch as being one that radiated warmth. So when the truth falls upon him a second time, it comes as a surprise. He learns that her hands are always pleasantly cool and calm to the touch, like water in contrast to the fire that never ceases to rage beneath his own skin.

The steel of her resolve is another aspect that constantly pulls him to her, as well. He has yet to mention it to her, but she has never failed to impress him with her diligence, her patience, and strength throughout all they have been through. She _has _in everyplace he is lacking, which reminds him of how well they manage to stabilize each other.

But there is also that sense of instability he feels around her, too—the jumps, the spikes in emotion he finds himself experiencing. Some days they show in the form of confusion, a crawling beneath his skin, or anger, pain. Other days it's sadness, an odd brokenness he knows all too well, or lightness, weightlessness, and half-hidden smiles he can never quite explain.

Sasuke ponders it for a while and then some, but nothing he grasps seems to encompass everything evenly enough. It feels as if in everything there is between them, nothing makes _sense, _but there is a limit, he realizes, to what his rationality and logic can explain.

He sets her on fire; she drowns him, and if she is light, he is darkness, but there is beauty in the gray matter, the sense of balance, they have together—and perhaps, he muses, that in itself should more than enough of an explanation.


	14. fragments

**title:** fragments  
**summary:** 'i'm sorry' was just the beginning.  
**prompt: **day #14 - his side of the story  
**rating:** t

* * *

The thick scent of antiseptic on the air coupled with the constant resonance of his wounds was more than enough to make Sasuke's head spin, but the image of Sakura lying against the white sheets of a hospital bed, injured and in pain, somehow managed to hurt him even more.

When she had thrown herself out to serve as a distraction to Madara, he had gone without bothering to give her a second look since he had been well aware that she had grown in the years they spent apart and she was no longer the little girl he had once known. Despite keeping a stoic face on throughout the battle, in that moment it had prided Sasuke when his pink-haired teammate took the front lines. After all, it was what she had always dreamed of.

Even with his faith entrusted to her, though, he had been quietly watching her in the corner of his peripheral as the fight progressed, peaked, and eventually faded. She seemed to have been holding up just fine, even with her stomach wound, and he had figured she would use her healing prowess to mend herself when time permitted.

But after they had made the final strikes together and the enemy fell, so did Sakura, and Sasuke's world came crashing down. He had miscalculated—and it seemed Sakura had, too. The next minutes were a blur, but he and Naruto somehow succeeded in getting their teammate to the hospital.

Despite holding the weight of the current events on their shoulders, Naruto had seemed particularly light on his feet, leaving Sasuke to watch over Sakura while he left to visit other patients. Perhaps it was just his euphoria from finally bringing the war to a close, but since Sasuke had enough to think about, he agreed easily, pulling up a chair to sit by Sakura's bedside.

He would have wanted to pay her a visit, anyway.

There was a certain irony in their situation that would have made Sasuke laugh if she weren't looking so frail beneath the sheets. He had always expected that it be him who would be bedridden and Sakura who waited at his side, but the tables seemed to have switched somewhere along the way. Silently, he wished they hadn't.

It would have been easier, he thought, if he had been the one who had fallen and not Sakura. A lump rose in his throat. The turn of events was his own fault—years later, even with his new strengths and power, he had still failed to protect her. He had turned her away when she, how ever little, still needed him. When he still needed her.

He inched closer to her, the sound of his chair's legs against the tile sharp in the silence. Letting out a sigh, he closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry."

She stirred at his sudden break of the quiet, and Sasuke found himself holding his breath. Her breathing steadied again quickly enough, but he remained silent, despite having a world of things to tell her. 'I'm sorry' was just the beginning.

Perhaps he'd tell her another day, once she returned to her usual bright self. They could sit down together, and piece by piece, he could slowly begin to reveal fragments of what he had kept silent throughout the years. Of course, other pieces might have to wait.

The thought brightened his view ever so slightly, and for the first time in what seemed like forever, the apprehension and fear he had been harboring for what would become of the future seemed to pale and subside.

In the next moment, he found lacing his fingers with Sakura's, as if to make sure she wouldn't go anywhere until then, and with his thumb, he began to trace some of his thoughts into her hand.

_(Ne, Sakura... How are you feeling?)_

_(You'll be better soon.)_

_(You've grown a lot.)_

_(I'm proud of you.)_


	15. fragments, pt 2

**title:** fragments  
**summary:** 'i'm sorry' was just the beginning.  
**prompt: **day #15 - her side of the story  
**rating:** t

* * *

After running onto the front lines to distract Madara from Sasuke and Naruto, a deep wound was new against Sakura's skin, leaving her to clutch at blood as she fell back from his blade. Her heart panged when it wept heavily, but once calmness moved in to reclaim her, she steadied.

She had trained for this. This time around, _her _power would save her.

Although Sakura wasn't one who constantly needed sympathy or attention, the way Sasuke barely glanced in her direction etched another cut beneath her skin. He met eyes with her once, simply and chastely, before charging forward to land another hit. She hadn't sensed a flash of emotion in his ebony gaze. Did he even care?

Naruto, on the other hand—worry flowed through every move he made, and he was at her side within a single breath, questioning if she were alright. She nodded easily, jutting a thumb in the direction of the diamond at her forehead and assuring him she'd be just fine. "I've done my fair share of training, too," she laughed, before trailing off.

Naruto followed his teammate's line of focus to Sasuke, who was currently shielding them from harm's view. He raised his eyebrows in attempt to put two and two together. "What's wrong, Sakura-chan?"

The girl laughed again, although her voice sounded much emptier this time. She waved his question away. "Oh, nothing," she said, straightening her shoulders so she stood tall and level.

A frown painted itself against Naruto's mouth as he leaned toward her, squinting. "You're a terrible liar," he muttered. He watched as her eyes darted back to their other teammate and almost clapped his hands together in realization. "It's Sasuke."

The blush that moved across Sakura's features signified he was, as usual, correct, and Naruto struck a victory pose. He grasped for answers. "You're upset he…uh…"

Sakura heaved a sigh. "He doesn't care, Naruto," she said. "He didn't seem to notice when Madara stabbed me."

"That's not it, Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaimed, silently cursing his best friend. "See, he's about as dense as a rock, and he's got the emotional range of one, too. It's not that he doesn't care—he just doesn't show it."

His last words had Naruto nodding, and as Sakura opened her mouth to speak, he cut her off. "Look," he said, a mischievous smile playing onto his lips. "I've got an idea—pretend to faint after the battle, and once we've taken you to the hospital, Sasuke will be all guilty and stuff and finally talk to you, and maybe—!"

The blond was knocked back by an enemy blow then, and despite her wound, Sakura charged forward, shaking her head.

Naruto's plan hung on invisible strings that she highly doubted in, but as the end of the battle approached and her chakra reserves were close to being completely depleted, she found herself falling into darkness.

When she awoke, she found herself in a hospital room, and for almost an hour, she lay against the bed, eyes closed from pain. Minutes ticked by, and she focused on steadying her breathing, knowing it would be illogical to hope for a visit from her old dark-haired teammate.

She had nearly fallen asleep when the door creaked open. Footsteps shuffled inside slowly, almost hesitantly, and she was surprised she recognized who they belonged to. She listened as a chair was dragged to her bedside, the noise sharp in the silence.

She sensed a strange tension in the quiet that followed, and it seemed as if it were hours until it was broken. She waited for something along the lines of, "Annoying," "Stop being so useless," or "Just stay out of the way," but when Sasuke finally spoke, he uttered the last words she expected.

The words that came were: "I'm sorry."

He said it softly and simply, but Sakura's eyes nearly snapped open in shock. She felt his hand slip into hers next, all steadiness leaving her. She was sure he could feel her trembling in his hold, but he seemed not to notice, his thumb moving against her skin, setting her palm on fire.

_(Ne, Sakura… How are you feeling?)_

_(You'll be better soon.)_

_(You've grown a lot.)_

_(I'm proud of you.)_

At the last sentence, he pulled his hand from hers and lifted a finger to tap the center of her forehead.

"Sakura," he said, and she could hear the smirk in his voice. "I know you're awake."


	16. messenger

**title:** messenger  
**summary:** maybe it's just a trick of the light.  
**prompt: **day #16 - indestructible  
**rating:** t  
**a/n: **if you guys wouldn't mind telling me your interpretation of this chapter, i would absolutely love that! this was a piece i originally wrote for school, and i got a couple different interpretations of the ending there, so i would really like to hear your thoughts~

* * *

Somewhere, hanging over the side of a rusty trash bin, there is a half-torn, completely-tattered calendar stained yellow with age. It reads that it is the summer of 2164, but what is left of humanity is unaware of this, and nothing except an internal clock tells a small, pink-haired girl that she should be asleep.

Although youth is evident on her dirty face, she walks the remnants of a dusty path on her own, with no company besides the hunger clawing in the pit of her stomach. Food, now, is a luxury and has become increasingly rare to come by as the days progress and fade. There is no one to buy or even steal from, and she has learned to live with the empty feeling.

As she wanders the road, moving toward some sort of abstract destination, she silently curses the world into which she has been born. The scientists, their sick experiments, the plague they mistakenly created that swept the nation—she cannot even understand it fully, and all she knows is that their pursuit of intangible knowledge and power has cost lives, and her family.

When she lifts her chin to the heavens in hope of pale light to brighten her thoughts, she sees only an endless, inky sky stained dark with pollution, hiding every trace of moonshine from view. She sighs and lets her footfalls pull her forward, almost feeling as if walls are beginning to close in on her small form as she breaks into a shallow run.

But the vicinity is empty and still, save for the pulse of her steps and the ghost whispers. There is nothing that can hurt her.

The girl's feet propel her forward until hunger and fatigue couple to suffocate her and her legs finally give out. The dirt floor does little to break her fall, and the sudden pain is sharp enough to knock the wind from her lungs, so she leans against the ground and stills, yielding to the gravity in her bones.

For a while, all she does is try to breathe, but when her eyes flutter close, she hears the sound: a heavy, stunted rhythm that makes her heart jolt in fear. Hands wildly grasping for some means of protection, her fingertips reach outward but only graze grass-blades and small pebble stones. A single, strangled word escapes her lips, "_Help."_

Although she does not expect one, a reply comes and fills her senses in the form of a person, and the sight of another presence is like an obscure dream, a fantasy or illusion. It has been so long since she has seen someone other than her own reflection in murky puddles that she processes the sound of incoming footsteps as something foreign. The person—the boy—nears her, and she wills her herself to sit up and face him.

He says nothing in response to the shock on her features but beckons closer, as if inviting her to follow him. To her own astonishment, the girl pulls herself up and approaches the boy, almost drawn in by the pooling darkness of his eyes.

"Come with me," he says, and she does.

With the boy in front of her, it is somehow easier to breathe, and the girl finds herself following the sound of his footsteps. As she walks, her strength miraculously returns in waves, her hunger dulling and subsiding, and after casting a glance at the boy, she is able to direct her focus to the sky and its dark entirety. Its color seems to deepen with every step, dimming from purple to gray and to black.

Her surroundings are still covered in a shroud of darkness when the sky suddenly splits, breaks, and brightens. An invisible barricade divides it into two, and the light on the other side almost blinds her, but the sight of a town high on a hill in the distance keeps her hope alive.

"The people there will be able to help," the boy assures her, and despite herself, the girl smiles. The boy's lips lift into a smile of his own, and for a moment, the girl glimpses a halo around his head, but maybe it is just a trick of the light.


	17. cursed

**title:** cursed  
**summary:** he falls under the spell of the forest-girl.  
**prompt: **day #17 - monster  
**rating:** k+

* * *

i. _age eight_

All it takes is a red-stitched throwing ball tossed in a high arc over his shoulder by his older brother to send a young Uchiha Sasuke soaring into the woods behind his grandmother's cottage tucked away in the countryside.

The air immediately chills his skin as he flies through the mouth of the forest, but the boy doesn't seem in the least bit afraid, parading into the trees without a second thought, eyes searching the ground for the ball. The towering pine trees surrounding him catch echoes of his laughter as he passes by.

He navigates the forest with ease, quickly turning corners and slipping under low branches so simply it seems his second nature. Ducking beneath a thin branch extended toward him, he catches a glimpse of the ball and grins, reaching out to retrieve it, but as his fingertips near the ball, a sudden gust of wind passes through and the young boy is nearly knocked off his feet.

A shiver runs through his body, and his hands move against his arms in attempt to summon heat. Stepping forward, he then takes a look around, and his breath leaves him when he comprehends the sight in front of him.

Appearing so abruptly Sasuke almost yells, a girl now stands before him, a waterfall of pink spilling over her simple cream dress and a soft, melancholic gleam in her gaze. She seems young, her skin bright and clear, but there is something in her eyes that makes her look far beyond her years.

It takes a moment, but when the haze in Sasuke's mind finally clears, he manages to choke out a greeting. "H-hello?"

The girl's eyes snap to his with an intensity that frightens him, but when she speaks, the tone that flows from her lips is gentle. "Hello," she says, echoing him.

Sasuke lifts a hand to the nape of his neck, rubbing nonchalantly. "Uh…I don't want to be rude, but," he begins, "who are you?"

Something about the boy's naivety makes the girl smile, but she masks it quickly before weaving her way around his question. "No one special," she says, shrugging. She says it simply, but there is a muted urgency in her voice.

The boy looks as if he's about to argue, but when his gaze drops to the ball still abandoned on the ground, he seems to forget, lifting his own shoulders in response. "Oh, well, I've got to get going, then." He takes a step and scoops it up before offering the strange girl a smile and turning to leave. "My name's Sasuke, and it was nice to meet you!" he says, and with his last words, he starts for the way back.

The forest air fills with the sound of the girl's heart pounding once the boy has disappeared, and she places a hand over her chest, as if counting the beats. "Thirty-two seconds," she whispers to the trees. "He saw me for two seconds too many… The curse..."

The forest shudders at her words, and she almost hears the trees murmur:

"_There sleeps a vixen in this forest, her lips a ruby red,_

_All the men whose eyes dare sight her wish she be theirs to wed,_

_After half a minute passes, they fall under her spell,_

_And their fates drop into her hands, their final outcome only time can tell."_

"Nice to meet you, too, Sasuke," she breathes, dewdrops beading at her eyes. "I'm Sakura, and I'm a monster."

.

.

.

_tbc._


	18. cursed, pt 2

**title:** cursed  
**summary:** he falls under the spell of the forest-girl.  
**prompt: **day #18 - dropping your guard  
**rating:** k+  
**a/n: **this is a continuation of yesterday's prompt, and the third and final part to this mini-series will be posted on the 27th~!

* * *

ii. _age thirteen_

A few years later, Sasuke finds himself back in the woods behind his grandmother's yard, peeking behind trees, leafy plants, and even rocks in search of the girl from five summers past.

He has grown plenty in the time spent away from the cottage, his shoulders a bit more squared, face slightly more angular where his youth used to be, and he stands taller now—but there is still the same curious spark in his eyes that he had as a child.

Light footsteps carry him through the forest, and he weaves through the trees, making sure to keep a mental list of how many paces he has taken and in which direction. After running about in the shade of the greenery overhead for quite a long time—fifty-seven minutes, if he's counted correctly—he stops at a broken tree trunk and takes a seat against the wood.

Running a small hand through his hair, he sighs heavily, but his desire to find the girl still burns as brightly as ever. He leans back, surveying the area with a calculating sweep, but there are no signs of her anywhere.

The forest feels strangely empty, as if he is the only person in the vicinity for miles and miles, but Sasuke knows she is there, too, asleep perhaps, or hiding. She has to be.

After a moment of contemplation of where to search next, he pulls himself to his feet and sets off again, starting toward the direction opposite of where he had come. A thin stream of water coaxes him to follow it, and he does, watching as the creek cuts deeper and flows wider with every step. It sings to him, and he listens until a bird of a brilliant blue hue flies by and steals his attention.

The bird's song fills the air as it loops around tree trunks before settling on one of the lower branches. Sasuke approaches it slowly, entranced by its color, and that is when light suddenly floods his vision. He steps back quickly, blinking several times to clear the haze, and when he can finally see again, the pink-haired girl stands before him, in the place of the blue-jay.

She doesn't look the least bit surprised to see him, but her brows are drawn and lips pursed in a way that makes Sasuke falter. His voice fails him at her sudden appearance, and she speaks instead.

"Leave this forest," is all she says.

Sasuke's immediate answer is, "No," and the girl's jaw sets, her features hardening. Slowly, he tries to approach her. "Why," he asks, "why do I have to go? I spent all this time looking for you—"

"No," Sakura repeats. Her eyes soften, taking on a watery appearance. "It's for the best."

"Is that the rule?" Sasuke says, and the innocence in his voice reminds her of the boy's youth. A soft smile shows from behind her mask; she nods. "We can be friends, and you can talk to whoever makes the rules! I'm sure they'll understand! Then I can stay here all I want, with you."

Ruefully, Sakura shakes her head, pink locks dancing at her sides. "We can't do that," she says the words in a whisper, insistence filling her pauses in between. She swallows. "I'm sorry."

"Why not?" he asks, pouting.

With a sigh, she gives her head another shake but leaves the question unanswered. "Why do you think you've come to look for me?" she says. "Is there a reason?"

"Well," Sasuke murmurs before pausing, seeming to think it over. "I don't know, but all this time, I've just—I've just felt like I was meant to find you. . ." He lets out a nervous laugh after saying it. "That sounds crazy, doesn't it?"

_It's the curse, _Sakura wants to say, but she doesn't, although all the angels in heaven and demons in hell urge her to break the wall of the truth, the secret, between them. Her heart pangs painfully, as if in guilt, and for a moment, she can't seem to meet his eyes.

At her silence, Sasuke crinkles his eyebrows. "It's weird, I know," he says. "But what do you say? Can we be friends?"

Lifting her gaze to his, Sakura takes in a breath, and she slowly feels the metal bars around her being shattered by a small boy with eyes of both dark and light. Listening to her heart instead of her head for the first time in what feels like forever, she steps toward him and whispers:

"Alright."

.

.

.

_tbc. _


	19. right here

**title:** right here  
**summary:** little did she know, fate had other plans.  
**prompt: **day #19 - rusty  
**rating:** t

* * *

The air rang with screams that had Sakura rushing into the main hallway of the hospital from her own room, hands pressed tightly against her ears and eyes glancing down at her body as she ran, still unaccustomed to the lightness in her movements and the empty silence that followed her steps.

It seemed almost as if her presence were something of negative value, as if she weren't _really _there, and the sensation plagued her; but she shrugged and rounded a corner, feet carrying her to the source of the shouts and yells. When she came to her destination, her heart nearly shattered.

The one who had been screaming was Naruto.

"Calm down!" The next words were Sasuke's. Slowly, he moved toward his blonde teammate, arms lifted in gesture. "Naruto, you need to calm down!"

The other boy tore away from him so viscously it seemed he were a different person. "Shut up!" he spat, before shoving Sasuke back by the shoulders. "Sakura's gone, and all you're going to do is tell me to _calm down_? God, Sasuke, you're not even going to show any emotion _now_?"

A string of curses escaped Sasuke's mouth, and his hands, still rusty with blood from their prior battle, slammed Naruto against the wall behind him. Sakura gasped, knees shaking as they threatened to give way, but she bolted forward, running into the space between the boys.

She put out her hands to separate them, trembling to the bone, and although she knew they would not hear her, she whisper-shouted, "Stop! I'm right here."

As always, they refused to listen, their voices rising to shouts once again, but this time around, she knew it was for a different reason. It wasn't that they weren't listening to her—they _couldn't._

Kakashi came to join them then, his arm in a sling as he stepped out of one of the hospital rooms. "Oi, oi, let's stop this," he called, eyes flickering from the two males to the one in the middle. Sakura inhaled in surprise. He could see her?

Her suspicions were confirmed when Kakashi gave the subtlest nod of his head before turning back to the boys. He cleared his throat. "Sakura wouldn't want you two to—"

"Like hell you know what she wants!" Sasuke cut in, and his words were drained of whatever steadiness they had previously possessed, replaced with the same anger Naruto's had before. "She's dead; we're never going to know what she wants now!"

Tears sprang into Sakura's eyes as Sasuke's voice filled her senses. He pulled away from them and ran down the hallway, visibly wanting to get away, but she followed him, the weightlessness of her new body making it easy to catch up.

Even with her vision blurry with tears, she found him, leaning against the wall of her hospital room. With a heavy heart, she watched his bloodstained hands run over his face in desperation, his guise cracking beneath his fingertips. He stumbled toward her bedside, where her physical body lay, and kneeled by the bed, a choked shout escaping his lips.

Sakura threw her arms around him and buried her face in his back, wishing she hadn't stopped breathing. "I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun," she cried. "I'm sorry I died." She tightened her grip on him, but as she looked at her arms looped underneath his, she realized she was fading.

Another strangled cry left her. _It can't be the end, it can't be the end, it can't be the end—_

But deep down, she knew it was. After pressing her lips to his cheek, leaving a shadow of a kiss against his skin, Sakura let herself gradually fade away, moving toward the next step in the road that was her legacy.

As she disappeared, she closed her eyes and accepted what was to come, but little did she know, fate had other plans.

She woke to the renewed pulse of the heart rate monitor and Sasuke's arms encircled around her.


	20. rush hour traffic

**title:** rush hour traffic  
**summary:** he bumps into a stranger who happens to be his past, present, and future.  
**prompt: **day #20 - my mistake  
**rating:** k  
**a/n: **honestly, this was my favorite of the prompts to write; it was just really fun writing this, which is partly why it's a bit longer than the rest~

* * *

The streets of Tokyo were as packed as they usually were during early morning rush hour traffic, citizens shuffling down the sidewalks in such a hurry it seemed everyone was bumping into everyone all at once.

Middle school teachers sidestepped the crowds, their hot coffee burning through the thin material of their paper cups; parents fought through to make it to the supermarkets, bags of groceries already dangling at their arms, and delinquent teenagers laughed amongst each other as they planned which wallets were to snatch and old ladies were to trip.

They city was alive and breathing, and despite being a quiet man who enjoyed his silence, Uchiha Sasuke received some sort of thrill from walking the streets during rush hour and found himself wandering Tokyo almost every morning. (But his phone always filled with texts from his worried mother during this time, and Itachi would pester him when he got home, teasing that he really should get a girlfriend before all the good ones were taken.)

The streets were so crowded that the personal bubble he established for himself—twenty meters in diameter, he liked to joke—was penetrated in almost every direction, but instead of waning to claustrophobia, Sasuke kept a hand on his newsboy cap, flicked his hawk-brown hair out of his eyes, and continued walking.

Though it was barely heard over the roar of the crowd, he took a breath, a soft smile etching its place between his lips. As ironic as it sounded, he often found comfort in his daily morning walks around town. Somehow, they calmed him.

He then turned a corner, and it all happened so suddenly that his world stopped spinning. A shoulder collided with his angular one; a small hand brushed against his, and he felt himself fall back the slightest bit as the other body was thrown forward.

A muffled outcry grounded him, urging him to keep his balance, and Sasuke quickly grabbed the wrist of the girl he had walked into. A sigh of relief left his lips as he caught her from falling into the crowd.

"Thank you," she said curtly, pulling her hand away, but her eyes said otherwise. Her gaze categorized him, running from his shoes to the cap on his head, and Sasuke felt a certain coldness consume him whole. He shivered, but when their eyes met, he froze to the bone.

He could barely manage to choke out a hurried:

"Do I know you?"

The girl scrutinized him, tossing a wave of dark hair over her shoulder. Although she shrugged, Sasuke was watching close enough to see the visible ray of recognition that passed through her rain-water eyes. "Dunno," she said simply, before twisting his words. "_Should_ I know you?"

Sasuke's heart panged, circulating something painful through his veins, and he struggled to grasp for answers, suddenly feeling as if the girl were going to disappear if he didn't find them fast enough, even though she was standing just a few paces away.

"Oh, my mistake," he said, but he certainly felt like it wasn't—it_ couldn't_ be_. _There had been something that sparked when she collided with him, the pulse of a story—_their _story—that had once been, and he knew, deep down, that their meeting was anything but coincidental.

"You're a doctor, aren't you? Or...a nurse?" Sasuke was pulling things from the air now, wildly, blindly. "Something medical, it's got to be—"

"I'm an engineer," the girl cut in, and when he met her eyes again, the underlying presence of remembrance, of having read their story, too, was gone. "Look, I need to go."

_No. No, no, this isn't right. _Sasuke ran a hand over his face, thoughts running haywire. _This isn't how this is supposed to go…_

As she turned to leave, he grabbed her wrist one more time, and her amber eyes snapped to his. _In another life, you had green eyes, _he wanted to say, but instead, he breathed, "Your name. At least tell me your name."

"Sakura," said the girl, eyebrows knitting together. "And yours?"

He released her then, and put out his hand to shake hers. "Sasuke," he said. He took a breath and tried to offer her a sideways smile. "This might sound crazy, but I think we know each other from somewhere, someplace awhile back…another life, or _something_..."

_At one point in time, you and I were in love. Do you remember? _

Sakura's hand fell into his as his last words laced together, and although he knew her skin was unblemished and clear, he could feel the shadows of moonglow scars trailing her fingers, battle-mementos, whispers of war that had followed her from a time when he had held lightning and she healing powers. He could feel the echo of what they once had, and with every fiber of his being, he hoped she could, too.

"That _is_ crazy," she said, but there was a twinkle of familiarity in her voice that hadn't been there before, "but I believe you."

The corners of her lips lifted, and he returned her smile. They shook hands, and just like that, they were connected again, the heartbeat of their story renewed in their bones, a new chapter ready to be written.


	21. comfort zone

**title: **comfort zone  
**summary: **a young sakura takes a leap out of her comfort zone.  
**prompt: **day #21 - rewind the time  
**rating:** k

* * *

Sasuke pretended not to notice plenty of things.

He pretended not to notice the sympathetic eyes and murmurs that followed him on his daily walk to the Academy, ignoring the hushed whispers he heard; he pretended not to notice the other kids at school who talked about him behind his back, discussing rumors they'd caught hold of or been told by their older siblings. He pretended not to notice the students who were brave enough to offer condolences because really, they didn't know a thing about his situation in the first place.

The list went on and on—but truth be told, there were some things Sasuke simply could not ignore. The girlish voices wafting from the large bush behind him happened to be one of them; their muffled conversations had him scowling into his rice-ball, but when he snuck a glance over his shoulder, the voices abruptly fell silent and the plant shuddered.

His brow crinkled in annoyance at the pink and blonde he had glimpsed, and he took another bite of rice-ball, chewing heartily in hopes of drowning out their new whispers, although it didn't work, to his dismay. (They were terrible whisperers.)

Minutes passed, and Sasuke's lunch disappeared, while the girls hiding behind the bush continued going back and forth in hushed voices. One of them—the blonde, he thought—seemed to be convincing the other to do something_,_ and he didn't know _what_ until it came crashing into him, sending his drink flying out of his hand and the water in his mouth down the wrong pipe.

He spluttered, flushed apologies accenting his every cough, and once he finally recovered, he looked up to the girl standing in front of him.

She bowed deeply before he could say a word, explaining in a hurried rush how her "_stupid, stupid_" friend had pushed her into him and that she was sorry. After trailing off, she held a bento box out to him. "I, uh, made a bento for you…" she stuttered.

A frown laced Sasuke's lips together as he studied her wordlessly. 'No,' he wanted to say, because it seemed the easier answer, but much to his own surprise, he found his hands lifting the box from her grasp. He murmured a quiet 'thanks,' and she beamed.

She sat down beside him, crisscrossing her legs, and she watched him intently as he pulled the lid off, fiddling with her thumbs in her lap.

A silence fell over them while he ate, seeming to make the girl uneasy—he saw her shivering in his peripheral and gradually picked up his pace with the food, so she would be able to take her leave sooner and fall back into her comfort zone.

But suddenly, she spoke: "I'm Sakura."

He paused. "I know."

She brightened at his words, her posture straightening as a blush crept onto her features. She smiled softly. "And you're Sasuke-kun, right?"

He nodded.

Sakura's eyes drifted to the half empty bento box in his lap, and she poked a finger at it. "Is it good?" she asked.

He nodded again. "Aa."

The rest of the food was finished quickly, and Sasuke stood from his seat on the grass. Sakura's gaze followed him, and as she met his eyes, she mused that his expression didn't seem nearly as withdrawn and guarded as it had been before. The scowl on his lips had been replaced with something softer, she noticed, and a smile lit her own.

"Thank you," she heard him say, his voice pulling her from her thoughts. Her bento box dropped into her hands, and she felt him tap the side of her head with his index finger.

Sasuke had walked off before the clouds in her mind cleared, but the laughter emanating from the nearby bush told her she hadn't imagined a thing.


	22. scarlet

**title: **scarlet  
**summary: **"ne, hinata-chan, those two are on fire!"  
**prompt: **day #22 - exposed  
**rating:** t  
**a/n:** sorry for being so late on uploading this!

* * *

Their usual spot for sparring was a bare field open to wandering eyes. The whir of blades rang easily, as did the contact of their kicks and punches, and a yell was often heard when a certain pinkette was the victor—but in reality, their presences alone seemed more than enough to attract attention.

Citizens came to watch their beloved medic; girls still seemed to filter to the last Uchiha. In turn, the unwanted attention Sasuke and Sakura received urged them to relocate their training grounds to someplace more obscure, and it was decided that they would continue to spar in the woods instead.

Branches overhead provided shade from the heat of the sun, but sweat still beaded at Sakura's brow as she anticipated where in the forest Sasuke had hidden. He often used the trees to his advantage, concealing himself until he found the right time to stun her from her blind spot, but Sakura's eyes were as sharp as ever and almost always caught on.

From behind a tree, Sasuke's gaze followed Sakura as she neared him, quiet footsteps leading her closer, and he took a moment to silently admire her skill and growth before whirling around to nail her side with a hard roundhouse kick.

She caught his foot before he could make contact and shoved him forward, making Sasuke grimace as he tried to keep his balance. When he was steady again, Sakura's fists were already throwing punches, and he had to keep up his defense, narrowly avoiding the majority of her blows.

An opening came, and Sasuke sliced a left hook through the gap of her arms, knuckles making soundly with her jaw. Sakura's eyes widened in surprise, rain-water shining as her head turned with a small but sickening, hollow crack, but as Sasuke was distracted in watching her face, she was able to throw him back with a square kick to his stomach.

"You tease," he muttered as he got to his feet, despite his focus still drifting to Sakura's jaw, where the skin was beginning to redden. A sudden nuance of guilt almost pulled him back to the floor.

A grin filled Sakura's features at his words, but a grimace pushed it aside, a hand lifting to where Sasuke had thrown his punch. His brows lifted, as if asking if she were alright, and she nodded quickly. "It's fine," she said, and they went back to exchanging blows.

With time, Sasuke's strength overwhelmed Sakura's speed, and she fell with his punch, instinctively grabbing hold of his arm and bringing him down with her. Her back slammed against the dirt floor, and she gasped, but not from the sudden impact.

Sasuke's arms caged her head and he hovered over her for the moment she lost her breath, but the sight of her flushing face had him leaning away and sitting up. Sakura helped herself up next, pressing her back to the tree behind them, and an uncomfortable silence followed.

Once fiddling her fingers could not occupy her enough, Sakura glanced over to Sasuke, whose dark eyes flashed to hers as he slowly leaned forward. In a heartbeat, his mouth was at the corner of hers, and she found herself drowning.

"Sorry," he whispered into the valley between her lips, tapping a finger to her jaw before pulling away.

Despite his level tone, both faces were burning so brightly neither of them noticed the muffled laughter and hushed, nervous warnings that came from blurs of blonde and purple in the distance.


	23. vending machine

**title: **vending machine  
**summary: **he deadpanned, "you're in the way."  
**prompt: **day #23 - a hot cup of tea  
**rating:** t  
**a/n:** i apologize for my obvious desire to write high school aus (but i have no regrets about this ahaha).

* * *

Classrooms were deserted and hallways silent as Sakura made her way down a flight of stairs, footsteps resonating in the emptiness of the school. The sky that greeted her when she found her way outside was already deep purple in color, a pale moon showing from behind a thin blanket of clouds, and a quick glance around told her that the rest of the students had gone home long ago.

Club activities having kept her busy long after school hours, there was a heaviness in Sakura's movements as she crossed the courtyard, a yawn escaping her lips as she stretched her arms. After a long day of hard work, the thought of a warm cup of tea with Ino at their favorite café sparked stars in her eyes, but with the shop being so far away and the clock hands pointing at much too late of an hour, her only option was the vending machine outside of the school.

Her languid steps quickened at the hazy image of tea forming in her mind, and Sakura soon found herself at her destination, without meeting any other students along the way. Her bag fell to the ground beside her, and she kneeled down to fish a few coins out of a hidden pocket.

—Only to find that she didn't have any.

Quietly cursing her luck, Sakura double-checked the pocket, only to find a half-stick of gum and a torn slip of paper. She then turned her backpack inside out, dumping its contents—her thirty trillion books and notepads—onto the concrete beside her, but even after minutes and minutes of searching, her hands were still as penniless as they had started.

But she wanted tea _so bad._

Haruno Sakura had never been one for giving up and continued searching for loose change as seconds ticked by, and when footsteps approached, she was so busy shaking her math notebook that she barely noticed. Her hands were moving toward another section of her bag as a throat cleared from behind her.

"Move," a voice said, and Sakura's eyes flew to the speaker.

Uchiha Sasuke stared back, his own bag slung over one shoulder and a few coins in his right hand. His brows knitted together, as if he were trying to figure her out, and a scowl sharp was on his lips.

Sakura frowned at him. "No," she said evenly, despite having never spoken to him regardless of their shared classes. All she identified him as was a stoic pretty boy who she'd have to compete for the title of valedictorian, and she wasn't sure he even knew her name.

He deadpanned, "you're in the way."

"I know."

"Get out of the way, Haruno."

Sakura blinked. So he did know who she was. Without thinking, she mumbled, "It's Sakura."

Sasuke made a face that bled disbelief and ran his free hand through his hair, letting out a quiet sigh. "Get out of the way, _Sakura,"_ he repeated, impatiently.

Sliding her belongings from the vending machine, Sakura set to work placing everything back into her bag, the sound of buttons being pushed clicking at her back. When she finally had her books and binders back in place, she turned around to see a can of green tea in Sasuke's hand and wrinkled her nose in jealousy.

Noticing her gaze on him, Sasuke glanced to Sakura, and a flash of something passed his face, his wrist just barely flicking out, as if he were holding the drink in her direction. Sakura's eyes widened and she reached for the can, but as her fingers grazed the metal, Sasuke snatched it back.

"That's not for you," he said flatly, tapping it against his leg before turning to go.

Sakura stood as he left, blowing out incredulity and hissing 'asswipe' as he walked away. After narrowing her eyes at the vending machine, she bent down and grabbed her backpack, indignantly moving in the same direction Sasuke had gone.

She walked until she could see the sidewalk leading away from the school, but before she could head home, a glimpse of metal caught her attention.

It was a can of green tea on the concrete, waiting for her.


	24. being a hero

**title: **being a hero  
**summary: **home is where the heart is.  
**prompt: **day #24 - glory  
**rating:** t  
**a/n:** implied character death.

* * *

"Kaasan, why is tousan never home?"

Attention caught by her young daughter's words, Sakura glanced up from a half-empty plate of breakfast, green eyes quickly finding those of the small girl. The pair that stared back was easily a mirror-image of her father's: deep and dark in the same way that his were, and the thought would've made Sakura smile if her daughter's voice hadn't sounded so uncharacteristically small.

Despite the girl being one of an endlessly cheerful disposition, there were cracks in the glass of her words, the way they flowed being much more muted than usual. Setting her chopsticks down, Sakura's eyebrows drew together in concern. "Is something wrong, Miko?"

She shook her head quickly, but there was no hiding the faint frown on her lips. "Tousan's never here," she said after a pause. "Why is that?"

Sakura took a breath before her gaze fell over her son in turn, who had looked up from his breakfast as well, the angles of his face drawn as he tensed at the question. A trio of heartbeats pounded her ears, but she tilted her head and managed a smile. "You see," she began, forcing the quiver from her voice, "your father is a very high-ranked shinobi of Konoha, and he's always been needed on missions, many of them requiring great amounts of skill, time, and…risk."

Blinking at the last word, Sakura stood from the table and walked over to her daughter, reaching out and smoothing her black hair down. Her fingers nearly tripped over the strands, their color being the same as her husband's, but she shook the feeling away and gently ran a hand over her daughter's head.

"He's like a hero, then," Miko murmured with a soft smile, and from across the table, her son leaned forward to rest his chin on his palm, whispering a quiet 'yeah' that tugged at Sakura's heartstrings, the duo rendering her at a loss for words for a breath.

After motioning for him to come closer, the older boy's mouth quirked to the side and he lifted a hand to his neck, finally standing to join his family. Sakura pulled her two children into an embrace, an arm over her daughter's shoulder and another underneath her son's. "He loves the both of you very much, even if he can't always be around," she said, willing the catches from her voice. "You two are his pride and glory.

"Whenever our friends would meet up, your father would talk nonstop about you guys—and you know how quiet of a man he is. My little girl, he'd tell them, she's mastered her fireball jutsu at seven, and my twelve-year-old son's already awakened his Sharingan! He—he's so proud of you both, and he really does love you more than anything…"

She trailed off, glancing down to see silent tears beading at her daughter's eyes, and pressed her lips together in a sad smile. Extending her sleeve to the young girl's cheeks, a few raindrops fell from her own, but she blinked them away.

"Kaasan, he's…not coming back, is he?" Miko asked.

Sakura released them then, bending down so that she was on her knees, her eyes finally level with her daughter's. She reached out, tapping a finger over her daughter's chest where her heart was soundly beating, and smiled. "He's right here," she whispered. "He hasn't gone anywhere."


	25. dimensions

**title: **dimensions  
**summary:** in which he realizes the reason why it all comes so naturally to him.  
**prompt: **day #25 - the other side of the wall  
**rating:** k+

* * *

Words slipped past teeth and fell from lips, soft and quiet:

"You're wrong."

They almost drowned in the stillness of the hospital room; breath passed. Fingers pausing at the bend of Sasuke's elbow, bandages froze in Sakura's grasp, and she lifted her gaze to his, searching him.

"What do you mean?"

Sasuke leaned back against the bone-white of his pillow, the bed creaking softly from his movement. He betrayed nothing in response and watched her instead, noticing gears spinning behind her eyes. "Exactly what I said," he murmured, simply. "You're wrong about me."

Sakura tilted her head to the side, finding herself at a loss for words.  
Despite the only emotion he could visibly see in her features being that of confusion, no matter how he looked at their situation, Sasuke knew he was hurting her. His words stung her skin as his actions threw her underwater, and a combination of all the pain he had brought upon her since his departure was undoubtedly more than enough for a single lifetime.

With the way things had come into play, even considering his uttered thanks, Sakura most definitely thought that he hated her, thought her annoying, and didn't care, he mused—but from his side of the coin, everything took on a whole new dimension.

Even in his outright denial and proclamation of severing ties with his past, there had been a shard inside that had pricked and cut him, forcing red tears from his fingertips as he attempted to do everything in his power to push it away. But the more he tried, the more he hurt and bled and scarred, and it soon became clear that it had been with him for so long it had been woven into him, accepted by his mind and heart as part of his essence and who he was.

No matter how he denied it, deep down, he knew the shard was Sakura, the one who had been a constant presence in his life from the start of it all. They were tied together in a way they could not control or explain, yet he made endless attempts to cut their strings—for a reason he couldn't quite word either.

It would be safer, he reasoned, if they were apart, and separate, but somewhere along the way, Sasuke came to learn and accept that his attempts at splicing ties would always be futile. Even though she bled, she was strong, and even though he was afraid of hurting her, he was more afraid of not having her light to guide him.

It was on the same path that he realized the reason behind his forced words of denial and false explanations of something that, in truth, came so naturally to him—protecting her.

"It's nothing," he told her, although he had a universe on his tongue. Despite its heavy importance, 'thank you,' he knew, could only convey so much of his thoughts to her without leaving her to grasp at invisible strings, but it was also true that the rest of his stars could still wait for a time when burdens were no longer too heavy and shadows no longer so dark.

Reaching toward her, he gave a sideways ghost-smile and flicked the center of her forehead, leaving Sakura grimacing—but she nodded.

She understood.


	26. glances

**title:** glances  
**summary:** it was neither the first nor last time mischief had gotten the best of uzumaki naruto.  
**prompt: **day #26 - staying warm  
**rating:** t

* * *

Although the air was thick with pelting ice-crystals, Naruto's voice carried easily in the storm:

"It's—fucking—_cold—_!"

Teeth chattering, the blond squinted into the white haze, quickly rushing forward as he made out the rough silhouettes of his teammates in the distance. He pulled his coat closer to his skin, cursing loudly between his shouts of 'wait up' and 'don't leave me,' but much to his dismay, the two of them continued fighting against the blizzard without him.

As he neared them, Sasuke threw a glance over his shoulder, and Naruto faintly heard him hiss 'it's cold because it's snowing, idiot' before turning away and trekking forward with Sakura.

Kicking at the thick snow beneath him, Naruto rolled his eyes as far as he could and stuck out his tongue, despite Sasuke already having been reclaimed by the storm and witnessing none of his antics. After running forward until he could see him again, Naruto noticed Sasuke and Sakura deep in a conversation, more or less huddled together for warmth, and a mischievous smile struck his features.

He bolted toward them as fast as the snow would allow, chasing the imprints of their footsteps against the frozen ground, and fell—almost literally—into step with his pink-haired teammate. When he was sure Sasuke was glaring in his direction, he leaned against Sakura, their shoulders colliding.

"Hold me, Sakura-chan!" he said, raising his voice above the snowstorm. "It's freezing!"

Before he could snuggle any closer to the girl, a heavy boot nailed him in the side, and he yelled, collapsing to the ground. Sasuke stood over him, pinning his head in place with a foot.

"The hell was that for, teme?" he exclaimed, struggling against his friend's hold.

Sasuke's boot pressed harder into Naruto's skull, and he yelped.

"You have a girlfriend," Sasuke said gruffly, "in case you forgot."

As Sakura pulled him away by the arm, Naruto dusted himself off and stuck out his tongue, hurrying as to not be left behind. He moved to catch up and leaned his shoulder into Sasuke's this time around, sparking a deep scowl on the other boy's features. He poked his elbow at his ribs. "And you don't," Naruto teased, wiggling his eyebrows in hopes of triggering some sort of denial.

Almost as if on cue, he watched as Sasuke discretely shifted his gaze to Sakura, who looked away, hands fidgeting inside her coat pockets. He was just about to yell 'aha!' but Sasuke's shrug and answer of, 'I don't,' cut him off.

Naruto's ocean eyes narrowed. "Then why are you guys walking all close and shit?" he countered, arms crossing. "It's obvious, ya know?"

"…Sakura's cold."

"And you're worried about her?" Naruto wiggled his brows again.

A beat, and then, "No." Sasuke cleared his throat. "We need a medic for this mission, just in case."

"Teme, you liar!" After throwing his hands in the air, Naruto jabbed his index finger out and swiped it in front of him, alternating from Sasuke to Sakura. "You two are dating, and the whole village knows about it—so don't think you can fool me!"

A grin resurfaced on his features as they exchanged quick glances but remained quiet, neither of them jumping to correct him, and he jovially strode away, arms swinging at his sides. He was a good few paces away when he heard Sasuke call out, 'we're not,' but when he peered over his shoulder to look at them, Sasuke's arm was draped around Sakura's shoulders, and although he had been expecting it, the notion made his jaw drop.

The pair flew apart when they noticed him gaping, Sakura's eyes going wide and Sasuke's ears burning, but Naruto merely laughed. "It's about time," he murmured, underneath his breath.

_And it looks like Sai owes me a bowl of ramen..._


	27. cursed, pt 3

**title:** cursed  
**summary:** he falls under the spell of the forest-girl.  
**prompt: **day #27 - misguided  
**rating:** t  
**a/n: **this is the third and final part to chapters 17 and 18.

* * *

iii. _age eighteen_

When they stand in front of each other for the third time, his back is pressed against a tree, arms crossed, and smirk light on his features, and her eyes are turned away, quickly, rapidly blinking.

There is a silence thick on the air that is different from the ones that hung suspended over their heads during their past two meetings, as if symbolizing the increase of distance and difference between them that has taken place over the years. Although Sasuke's eyes still take on the same curious gleam and Sakura's face remains youthful, he is taller, older, and more refined as she is more cautious and careful.

"I've been looking for you," Sasuke says, voice completely unlike the one he had possessed in his youth. "I've been looking all day, and I finally found you here."

Sakura glances around, twisting her light hair in her hands, before meeting his eyes. "I wish you hadn't," she says through her teeth, and her mind tells her it is the truth. She only wishes it were true.

A soft laugh joins the wind, and he rubs a hand at his neck in the same way he had when he was young. "You've always been a tough one, haven't you?" he mutters, before leaning off of the tree at his back. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he straightens and takes a few steps toward her.

At his decrease of distance, Sakura starts, feet falling back by instinct, and Sasuke's mouth quirks to the side is something akin to a smile but she can't be quite sure. She feels herself flush, veins thrumming with new fear. "Don't," she whispers, hands pushing out to separate them.

"I won't do anything strange. I just have something to ask you," Sasuke says, and Sakura studies him, noticing the slight change in his voice.

"What is it?"

He steps closer and she steps away until her back is flat against a tree, and she gasps, eyes widening, as his hands reach out to her shoulders, leaving them there. Piece by piece, his mask falls away, and when he speaks again, his words are broken and lost and not at all steady as they had been. "What have you done to me?"

Sakura stills at his words and looks up, gaze trembling. _It's the curse, _she thinks, and although throughout her lifetime, there have been many men that she was unable to prevent from falling under the spell, the realization pains her. "What do you mean?" she whispers, unable to keep her voice from shaking.

"I can't get you out of my head," he says, speaking the words as if they are painful. His grip on her shoulders tightens. "It's like you're in my blood, and no matter what I do...I can't forget about you. I don't—I don't know what to do, I just can't _take _this anymore."

Despite having heard similar words from others, the brokenness in the way they spill from Sasuke's mouth brings tears to her eyes. "I'm sorry," she murmurs, "Sasuke, I'm sorry." Her hands move to pull his from her shoulders, but as her fingers graze his wrist, Sasuke dips his head and touches his lips to hers, her mind goes blank.

Green eyes widen in surprise, and Sakura is astounded by the gentleness in his touch. There is no uncontrollable hunger, rampant fire, or desire, just soft longing that pulls at her heartstrings. The notion warms her, but logic takes over quickly enough, and her hands go out to separate them again.

"Stop," she says, fumbling for words. "You can't—this…this isn't _real_; you don't really—"

"You can't say that," he says simply.

Sakura grimaces. "I can, because I know what's happened to you, and it's my fault."

"What do you mean?"

"You…won't believe me."

"Try me."

Taking a breath, Sakura lifts her chin so that her eyes meet with his, and his brows lift at her graveness. "I've been cursed so that any male who communicates with me for more than thirty seconds falls in love with me, and if the male is not strong enough to suppress the feelings enacted by the spell, he will die," she tells him. "You were just a child when you met me, so you didn't realize it yet—that's why you lived."

For several moments, Sasuke is silent, and then: "I believe you." He seems to think it over. "But I think some of my feelings have manifested of my own accord and not of your curse's."

His lips lift in embarrassment, but he nears her again. "Is there any way we can get rid of it?"

After a second of hesitation, Sakura nods. "It will be reversed if…I fall in love," she says, and suddenly it seems that maybe, just maybe, he—_they_—might not have so much of a tragic ending after all.

.

.

.

_fin._


	28. lights

**title:** lights  
**summary:** "you're annoying, too."  
**prompt: **day #28 - when the power fails  
**rating:** t

* * *

As a single lightning strike illuminated the night, the lights in Sakura's apartment flickered, dying with the sound of thunder that followed. Darkness swept through the rooms, and she lifted her eyes from the soapy dishes in the kitchen sink, searching for either of her teammates.

The snores emanating from her living room told her Naruto was long asleep, limbs sprawled wildly across her sofa, so Sakura shook water droplets from her hands and called for her other teammate instead. "Sasuke-kun," she said, voice carrying easily in the quiet, "can you get my flashlight? It's in the—"

"Right here." She turned around then, only to be blinded by a beam of white, and after rubbing her damp hands at her eyes, she glimpsed Sasuke and a faint smirk on his lips.

She stuck out her tongue but murmured 'thanks' and he walked over to her, flicking his wrist so that the light spiraled everywhere, blinding her again and again. She grimaced. "Sasuke-kun…point it over the sink," she told him, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand again. "I can't see."

"Yes, ma'am," he scoffed, his tone bleeding sarcasm, but he obeyed, moving to prop an arm against the counter behind him. The kitchen fell silent for a moment, and Sasuke watched as she scrubbed the dishes. In the dark, Sakura missed the scowl that tugged his lips. "You're always working so hard for us," he muttered.

She looked up at his words and tilted her head toward him. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"You've cooked for us almost every day for the past six months," Sasuke said, crinkling his eyebrows in thought. He leaned up from the marble tabletop. "Doesn't it get tiring?"

Sakura laughed. "Sounds like you hate my cooking, Sasuke-kun. But no, it doesn't." She reached to turn the water faucet on, and a stream of water trickled out and over the plates. "You guys need someone to take care of you."

She glanced at Sasuke sideways, a soft smile toying at her mouth. "No matter how many times you scold Naruto for how much ramen he eats, all you eat is ramen, too." A laugh left her lips when she glimpsed the discomfort on his face. "We can buy you a new rice cooker if you want, since you somehow managed to break yours…"

Sasuke coughed slightly and lifted a hand to the back of his neck. "How'd you know?" he asked, and Sakura grinned.

"Last week, when you invited us over, I looked around your kitchen when you went to the bathroom," she said. "Didn't you notice Naruto stole a pack of instant noodles?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Creep."

"Yeah?" she challenged. "How did you know where I keep my flashlight?"

He shrugged off her question. "I saw it under your bed, with your kunai and pepper spray."

Sakura laughed. "Creep," she shot back, turning off the water to begin putting the plates on the dish-rack. "I'll still help you find a new rice cooker, though, and I can start teaching you how to cook again, because let's face it—you're going to die living off ramen."

A bright beam shone in her eyes another time before Sasuke set the flashlight against the table. He took a few steps closer to her, grabbed a stray towel and then the plate in her hands, beginning to dry moisture from the plate. Setting it aside, he reached for another and sighed. "You're too considerate and hardworking. It's annoying."

Sakura laughed again, moving toward him and standing on tiptoe to press her mouth to his cheek. "You're annoying, too," she murmured, before flicking water into his eyes and taking back the plate in his hold.

"…You always end up breaking my dishes," she explained, with a sheepish smile.


	29. uncaged

**title:** uncaged  
**summary:** the ghosts of what they once had were still etched into his skin.  
**prompt: **day #29 - tattoo  
**rating:** t

* * *

"Stop."

Startled at the sudden break of the quiet, Sakura blinked down at her patient, eyes searching those of her teammate as he pushed her hands from his gray shirt. "What?"

"Don't," Sasuke told her, moving her fingers aside and attempting to shift his weight against the hospital bed beneath him. "Just leave it."

Brows knitting together, her gaze darted to the growing scarlet seeping through the cloth, and scrutinized the wound. "Is it hurting that much?" she asked, before gesturing to the IV pole beside him. "I can increase the dosage of your pain medicine if you—"

"That's not it."

"Then what is?" Sakura asked, growing impatient at the sight of his blood. "I have to dress your wound, you know. I really should start now."

Sasuke leaned back and pressed himself into the mattress, and an uncomfortable look crossed his face. With a faint scowl on her lips, Sakura reached for the lower hem of his shirt again, and he tensed as she pulled it upward, eventually pushing her away once half of his stomach was exposed.

"Sakura…," he muttered, voice lined with an undertone of anxiety.

"I need to clean your wound."

"…Sakura, stop."

"You can't tell me what to do, Sasuke-kun. I need to heal you."

"_Sakura_…"

Exhaling, Sakura reached to the side table next to them and pulled a white cloth into her hands, pressing it to his stomach, and Sasuke winced at the pressure. After shooting him a glance, she tugged his shirt so that his left arm unlaced from the sleeve but left it there to continue tending to his wounds.

"Looks like you got hit pretty badly," she murmured, quickly working to clean the blood before reaching for a thick roll of bandages, which she unfolded with ease. She wrapped the bandages snugly while keeping the rest of his shirt in place, and when the bleeding ceased, she hovered her hands above his abdomen and began to heal.

Faint green light illuminated the newly tied dressings as Sakura traveled upward, in the direction of the rest of Sasuke's acquired cuts and bruises. She moved to his shoulder first, followed by his forearm, before eventually returning to the damaged skin above his bandages, at his chest.

The material of his shirt shifted as Sakura transferred her hands, exposing skin marked by dark ink that quickly stole her attention. Brows lifted, she glanced toward Sasuke's face, and his eyes snapped open, fingers flying to readjust the cloth; but she grabbed his wrist and pulled his shirt away, eyes tracing the image.

Sasuke forced himself to sit up, sighing in defeat, and Sakura's gaze ghosted over the ink. Printed against his pale skin were three birds soaring at his upper stomach, and she redrew them again and again in her mind. "What do they represent?" she asked quietly, and he grimaced, as if in pain.

After a moment of evident hesitation, Sasuke muttered, "My family," and Sakura nodded, her hypothesis confirmed. But then he cleared his throat, and something flashed in his eyes that made her reconsider.

"You know," he said, glancing away. "Team 7."


	30. aeipathy

**title:** aeipathy  
**summary:** day by day, the explore the strength of the invisible ties that bind them.  
**prompt: **day #30 - it all comes back to this  
**rating:** t  
**a/n: **seems like sasusaku month has finally come to its end, and to wrap everything up, i'll be ending this compilation of prompts with a two-shot based off of the fantasy/lotr au from the colored panel at the beginning of chapter 679 of the manga. it's been pretty popular on tumblr as of late (along with the western au), but even if you haven't heard of it, i don't think you'll have any problems understanding what's going on here c: hope you guys enjoy!

* * *

His brother's words came flooding back to him as the night fell upon Sasuke's shoulders, pale moonlight illuminating the campsite he had helped create just hours ago.

With dry branches, he fed the fire flickering at his feet, its glow casting shadows against the angles of his face as he tended to its flame, doing everything in his power to keep from falling back into his thoughts. The quiet did little to help, though, the only sounds being the faint snores of the adventurer-boy, Naruto, and the song of a nearby creek rushing over eroded rocks and pebbles, and one look at the small dragon curled at Naruto's side had Sasuke deep in wonder, mind possessed by the way he had come into his situation.

A few weeks ago, he had been wandering the forests, a blade at his waist and bow strung over his shoulder, when he had come across a blond who, after sheepishly apologizing for nearly jogging right into him, introduced himself as Uzumaki Naruto. At the time, he had seemed normal enough, and on any other occasion, Sasuke would've wordlessly walked off with a curt nod or two…but something about the other male had pulled him in.

Cradled in his arms had been a small, scarlet dragon, and as Sasuke had lifted a brow at the sight of it, Naruto's companion, a shorter, helmet-clad girl, spoke up. She had stolen his attention the moment she began to speak; her distinctive features made it easy to identify her—a dwarf, no doubt, despite her being much taller than those of her kind he had previously encountered, but it hadn't her appearance that had caught his eye.

It hadn't been her light pink hair, either, or her starbright eyes. It had been something else, something completely different and almost unworldly that he couldn't explain, and although Sasuke had forced his eyes away from her, her words had been lost to him, the only ones he managed to catch being, 'dragon,' 'elf-princess,' and 'Hyuuga.'

Somewhere along the way, the blond had cut in to reiterate her, telling how a certain chain of events had led to others and he had ended up with a princess's dragon, which he was on a journey to return. After rubbing his chin and studying Sasuke, he had suddenly grinned and asked if he wanted to join them on the way.

Glancing between the trio, Sasuke had found himself murmuring, "Alright." The girl, who introduced herself as Sakura, smiled as Naruto stuck out his hand to shake, and that was how it all started.

The long path leading toward the Hyuuga princess's castle was a near-empty one, and in the silence the new trio slowly forged strings, ropes, and then bonds throughout their moments spent together. Despite their varying personalities, they were a good and well-balanced team and fell into place rather quickly as the days progressed.

Fights were constant between Sasuke and Naruto, usually between the most petty of things, but although he usually went to sleep drained and half-angry, Sasuke realized he had come to enjoy the variation his new acquaintance brought into his otherwise calm and peaceful life. To have a friend like the blond, he decided, was like something he had never experienced in his youth, since he had never been one to socialize—and he found he didn't quite mind being in the other's presence.

Sakura came to be the one who kept the group together. Between the boys' bickering and occasional straight-out fist fights, she maintained a level head, but wasn't afraid to enter the brawl if necessary. Sasuke soon realized her rather petite build meant close to nothing; she was steady and strong and could send the both of them flying if events required her to.

Her strength wasn't the only thing Sasuke noticed about her, though. She was kind, too, and surprisingly easy to talk to, even when Sasuke's social skills were nothing to brag about. Around her, he was comfortable, and he gradually learned that her smile would become something that would never fail to lighten his mood.

As the sun rose and fell, the two of them grew closer, and friendship blossomed. Despite being a man of few words, Sasuke often found himself deep in conversation with the girl late at night, once their blond friend had dozed off. Sometimes, she'd speak her thoughts, and he'd watch the stars and listen, but on rare occasions, he also told her stories of his childhood and life, never knowing why or what had driven him to do so.

He progressively grew accustomed to opening up to her, and it was a new experience. He came to cherish the time they spent together. And slowly, he came to cherish her.

His feelings had taken root long before he had noticed them, and understood what they meant. Being one who had never truly taken the time to acquaint himself with emotion, Sasuke pushed them away, but as they strengthened with time, they took root and overwhelmed him.

He tried to sort himself out, to make sense of his thoughts, but as he did so, their interactions faded. Sakura noticed the sudden shallowness in his eyes that clashed against the depth she had previously known and found herself confused, finally pulling him aside one night to ask what the matter was.

Sasuke searched for words but found none; there was a haze in his mind that he could not clear, and the feel of her hands around his wrists hadn't been helping. She met his eyes, and when the weight of her stare became unbearable, he bowed down and pressed his mouth to her forehead in the only explanation he could manage.

Her arms around him were more than he could have ever asked for in return.

For a while, the skies seemed brighter and bluer than Sasuke had ever seen, but they dimmed just as quickly, as reality came crashing down. On a lone fishing trip, he met his brother on the other side of the river, the dark water cutting clear between them.

His words continued to echo in Sasuke's mind even days later:

"She and you are from different worlds, Sasuke. Let it go; come home—this will only leave her—and you—hurt..."

And although every bone in his body screamed in retaliation, Sasuke knew he was right.

Two nights later, he sat up in the dark of their campsite. All was still; Naruto and Sakura were fast asleep, and so he was able to quietly gather his things in the silence. Within moments, his sword was at his side and bow at his back, and he was ready to depart.

Gazing off into the distance, his eyes found the Hyuuga princess's castle in the mountains ahead. Their distance to it was much smaller than it had been, and perhaps in a few days, they would be at her front doorstep. Sasuke let out a breath. They were in no need of him now. He could leave in peace.

Or could he?

His stare fell to Sakura next, asleep just inches away from where he had been, and guilt pulled at his heart. Deep down, he knew it was right, it was safer to leave her, but there was no concealing his second guesses.

Throughout the time they had spent together, she had given him a lifetime in a few weeks, and it was unthinkable how he was repaying her. For a second, his eyes stung, but he blinked and the feeling was gone.

Slowly, he bent down to kneel beside her sleeping form and dipped his head to hers, holding his breath to brush his lips against her cheek. "Thank you," he whispered, and at his own words he froze, suddenly feeling a strange sensation of having been in the same scenario before.

The thought of having left her before, in some sort of faraway dream that once was, nearly tore him, but after a trifling lapse of hesitation, he got to his feet, adjusted the strap of his bow along his arm, and set off. After one last glance at her, he turned away completely, shutting his eyes and whispering 'goodbye' one last time.

.

.

.

_tbc._


	31. aeipathy, pt 2

**title:** aeipathy  
**summary:** day by day, the explore the strength of the invisible ties that bind them.  
**prompt: **day #31 - three wishes  
**rating:** t  
**a/n: **a big thank you goes out to everyone who has taken the time to read this anthology, leave a review, and/or favorite/follow. i really am grateful for your views and support, and i hope you guys enjoy this final chapter! happy sasusaku month 2014 one last time!

* * *

Even with the rough image of his home in the distance, Sasuke moved languidly, body weighed down with burdens he could not fathom nor explain. He had lost track of the number of days he had spent away from Sakura and Naruto long ago, but the unknown quantity was still heavy on his shoulders, the only thing keeping him going being the pull of his heart in the direction he knew he should have been headed all along.

Since he had originally moved at a brisk pace, he had cleared distance that had taken weeks with the other two in days. He progressed quickly, not stopping to admire the hue of the sky overhead, never pausing to study rare forms of blossoming flowers as he had with them. Creek songs went without being heard and forest animals were barely given a second glance if not able to provide food.

In the absence of the blond and pinkette, he found himself dismissing the details, as little things reminded him of them...and of her. And no matter now he tried to convince himself otherwise, it hurt.

Feelings of guilt and nostalgia washed over him on the rare occasion he allowed himself to skim over details, all leading him back to her. It all coupled to frighten him somehow, and some days he even ran through places when the thoughts of her became unbearable. Her ghost haunted him with every step, and it was almost as if there was no escape.

And yet, sometimes he found himself walking slowly because of the same memories, and because he wished to hold on to them just a little while longer.

It was the same case that night, even with his home a breath away. Footsteps were slowly, almost hesitantly placed in the direction of his clan dwelling, and Sasuke let out a sigh, making his way through the labyrinth of a forest under the light of the moon.

Moving numbly, he maneuvered his way through tall trees until rising smoke from a campfire a short way ahead caught his attention as he slipped past. He surveyed the area, quietly moving closer, but when one of the males seated around the fire glanced up and met his gaze, he froze.

Staring back were a pair of eyes so exceedingly similar to his own, and Sasuke found a near mirror image of himself in the clearing, with the same sharp, elongated ears, dark hair, and light skin that would have made him an easy doppelgänger if it hadn't been for the other male's ponytail.

He stepped forward until he was at the perimeter of their campsite, nodding curtly to the others who were also seated close by before turning to the one in the center. "Brother," Sasuke said, greeting him.

"Sasuke," Itachi echoed, and there was an uncharacteristic element of surprise tinging his even voice. "Come, join us."

Obeying, Sasuke took a seat in the empty space across from his brother, helping himself to unclaimed meat being browned by the fire, and once stares had finished being exchanged by the three others who were eating as well, casual conversation sparked and quickly ignited in the small campsite.

They were quick to question Sasuke where he had been for the past weeks, and he told them, sparing the details of his journey and betraying only raw major events that were necessary. He told them of the human boy's goal, the dragon, and the elf-princess, whose mention brought a chorus of faint recognition, and he spoke briefly of the pink-haired dwarf girl but faltered, having to stop when Itachi met him with a knowing eye.

In turn, the three told him of their short hunting trip, but their stories fell upon deaf ears because the boy had long been reclaimed by a sea of memory.

One by one, they slowly trickled away with the end of their tales, retiring to the ground to face the night sky, and Sasuke found himself wandering to the nearby river alone. He peered into the glassy water, watching the stars from its surface until he noticed an approaching figure.

"Looks like you actually listened to me this time." The voice was Itachi's, and Sasuke turned around to see his brother nearing his side.

He lifted his shoulders. "Yeah," he said, tone sounding strangely vacant.

He heard his brother sigh and glanced toward him. "You probably despise me for making such a request when it was not my place to do so, but I assure you, this is for the best," Itachi said. "I'm only protecting you, Sasuke…and I'll say it again: she and you are different. To make something between you two work would be…difficult and illogical, as there is much that stands between you. I'm sure you know that friendship with the human will only hurt you in the end as well. He will leave someday. The girl will, too, eventually."

"I know," Sasuke muttered, but even though he understood, there was something indescribable that kept pulling him back to the two of them despite everything that was wrong, that twisted laws and logic and loyalties. He breathed out sharply, deep in thought.

Was it better to have and have lost, or to not have in the first place at all?

Placing a hand on his brother's shoulder, Itachi pulled Sasuke's attention back toward him and in a soft voice said, "I only want the best for you, but if you decide to go back, I'll let you go."

He turned to leave after a moment, leaving Sasuke in the dark. "Aa," he said, when there was no longer anyone there.

Under the light of the moon, he took a seat by the river, slowly letting himself lean back against the grass beneath him. The stars were still bright when he looked up to them, and he pressed his lips together in wonder.

For a second, he let his eyes slip shut, and once they were open again, he glimpsed a rare sight: three shooting stars. It was beautiful, without a doubt, how they soared through the sky, and Sasuke found himself weaving wishes, one on each of the stars, one for each of them.

For Naruto, he wished that the boy never lose his sense of curiosity.

For himself, he wished to be able to do what was right.

And for Sakura, he wished for her to find happiness and to always be happy.

Despite everything, a smile appeared on his lips as the stars faded from view, and he willed himself to rest.

In his shallow slumber, threadbare flashes and marbled memories of pink and scarlet red played beneath closed lids, and he felt himself reaching out to catch shards in his fingers; but he woke abruptly, to roughly placed hands at his neckline, and he opened his eyes to see the real thing, his memories in flesh.

It took a moment to comprehend what was happening, but once he blinked the sleep away, Sasuke recognized the hands as Sakura's and felt is breath leave him.

Even with a face clouded by dust and sweat, her hold was strong and unyielding as she grasped his shirt from her position at his side. "What the hell," he heard her say—_whisper_—in a voice that sounded nothing like her own, "what the hell were you thinking, Sasuke?"

Letting her pull him into a sitting position, Sasuke sighed out his brother's words: "You and I are different," but was unable to stop from caging her head to his chest with his arms. "You deserve more than a world of troubles that'll come with you being with me."

Naruto chortled, and Sasuke glanced up to the boy hovering over them. "Look, Sasuke, whether the three of us were meant to meet or not, the point is that we _did_, and nothing is going to change that," he said, nodding.

"And nothing about old history or current events between our people is going to change that, either," Sakura put in. "We have _something._ I don't need your protection, and you don't need mine, but…" She gestured from herself to Naruto. "We both need _you_."

Unable to piece together a reply, Sasuke was silent as she freed herself from his arms, standing to offer her hand to his sitting form. He stared at her hand outstretched toward him, her words replaying in his mind over and over again, joined by Naruto's extended hand at his other side, and slowly, a small smile pulled the corner of his lips up with him as he let them help him to his feet. "I can't believe you guys came to get me," he murmured.

Sakura and Naruto laughed.

"So, you're gonna join us for the rest of the journey back to the princess, ya know?"

Sasuke nodded. "Yeah."

Cheers sounded from the blond, and the trio turned to go, stories already falling from Naruto's lips as they headed off in the direction of the Hyuuga's castle. With the same faint smile still on his features, Sasuke turned to cast a quick look back to his home, its presence renewing as he considered his choice. For the first time, it felt as if everything had fallen into place.

In the trees he glimpsed his brother concealed behind bark and leaves, but instead of calling out to stop him, Itachi merely nodded and lifted a hand in temporary farewell. At that, Sasuke waved in response and was able to fully face forward, even allowing his fingers to entwine with Sakura's as she pulled him forward, the three of them already making their way to the next chapter of their story together.

.

.

.

_fin._


End file.
